How Chateauform automated its identity management while keeping control of its accesses

"Today, thanks to Youzer, we know that when someone leaves, everything is deactivated. Nothing is lost."

Florian Caudal, IS Management Manager

With over 2,400 employees in several European countries, Chateauform welcomes thousands of companies to its seminar and training facilities every year.

Operating in several European countries, Chateauform had to contend with a rights management system inherited from long-standing practices that were still largely manual.

Florian Caudal, IS Management Manager, sums it up well:

"We had around 1,000 users managed by hand. Then we were asked to give everyone an e-mail address. We had to create 1,400 additional accounts. That's when we decided we had to get equipped."

Florian Caudal

It was this trigger that led the IT Department to deploy Youzer in early 2024, with a clear objective: to regain control of account management, without burdening internal processes.

What was the initial problem?

Before Youzer, global identity management was done manually in Active Directory or Microsoft 365.the IT team managed around 1000 users, until the day management asked to create 1400 additional accounts to provide all employees with an e-mail address.

"Making a script to create 1,400 accounts is easy. The problem is turnover and departures. That's where Youzer changed our lives."

Florian

Florian sums up the challenge well: creating accounts en masse was still feasible, but updating and deactivating them became impossible without a tool.

This observation led the IT department to look for a solution capable of automating processes, while retaining control over specific cases.

The teams have therefore chosen to retain a manual part for the time being, until the account allocation has been properly designed, but offboarding is now fully automated.

The result: no more forgotten accounts, no more falsely active licenses, and full visibility on actions taken.

Why choose Youzer?

The plan to assign e-mail addresses to all 1,400 users had been on the drawing board, but had always been put off for lack of a suitable tool. The IT team preferred to continue managing accounts manually.

Everything changed with the arrival of the new CIO, Dimitri Chevtchenko, who had already used Youzer in a previous experiment and knew that the solution could meet this type of challenge.

"We knew we needed a tool. After the demo, we were excited, even eager to deploy it!"

Florian

This choice was quickly confirmed: Youzer offered the flexibility needed to adapt to a heterogeneous environment - Active Directory, Microsoft 365, Talensoft, GLPI - without overhauling the IS or undertaking long, costly projects.

‍

How was Youzer set up?

Deployment was not linear. Chateauform went through a running-in phase, notably due to complex HR connectors (Talensoft) and Youzer bricks being deployed on certain applications.

The arrival of Christophe, Youzer's integration project manager, marked a turning point.

"It's night and day before and after Christophe. He made everything run so smoothly. He explained a lot of tips we didn't know, and since then, everything has worked perfectly."

Florian

Today, three members of the IT team use Youzer on a daily basis. The tool is connected to cover the majority of current needs.

And the rest is already in the pipeline: the HR department is soon to join the platform to streamline identity creation, before a possible extension to vehicle management- proof of the system's flexibility.

What concrete benefits have you seen?

The first benefit is the reliability of offboarding:

"When someone leaves, Youzer puts their account in a shared box, suspends everything and withdraws licenses and groups. It's square, you don't lose anything."

Florian Caudal, IS Management Manager

But automatic workflows have also made a difference to day-to-day operations, particularly when it comes to job changes or internal mobility.

In an organization where such movements are frequent, Youzer now updates groups and rights without manual intervention.

"Today, thanks to workflows based on value changes, everything updates automatically: the position, the group, the accesses."

Florian points out that these automated processes enable him to avoid manual alignments and guarantee the consistency of rights after each move.

‍

What are the most popular features?

For Florian, Youzer's strong point is the flexibility of its workflows and the ability to automate all recurring actions.

"The big plus is that you can automate everything by adding the right notifications, which is super important."

How does the support work?

The feedback is unequivocal: customer relations are one of Youzer's strengths.

"When we have a question, we get an answer within the day. If that's not enough, we have an appointment within the week. That side of things is fantastic."

Florian also stresses the importance of the ideas portal, where customer suggestions are listened to and incorporated into the roadmap.

"The tool evolves as needs change. That's rare, and that's what makes the difference."

What's the long-term vision for Youzer at Chateauform?

Youzer is no longer an IT project, but an integrated component of the information system.

After IT, the next project is to open up to HR - to make identity creation even smoother - and even vehicle management, proof of the platform's flexibility.

Eventually, a clear rights matrix will enable us to take automation even further.

Would you recommend Youzer?

"Yes, without hesitation. Firstly for the automation, which is reliable and traceable. And above all for the communication with the Youzer team: responsive, complete, human."

Youzer has enabled Chateauform not only to secure its identity management, but also to carry out projects that would not otherwise have been possible.

"If we hadn't had Youzer, we wouldn't have been able to do these projects. Clearly."

Florian particularly appreciates the team's ability to listen and develop the product in line with customer needs.

"I'm still a fan of Youzer. Mind you, I'm pointing out the difficulties at the beginning because I think it's important to see the evolution you've had - and it's precisely this ability to evolve that makes you strong. Your tool becomes a masterclass, that's important."

In summary

When Chateauform had to create 1,400 new accounts in addition to the 1,000 already in existence, the IT department realized that the manual model would no longer work.

With Youzer, the company was able to absorb this increase in workload without overhauling its IS, while automating the most critical operations - notably departures and job changes.

In just one year, the IT team has gained in reliability and visibility, while maintaining control over its internal processes and implementing this major project.

A pragmatic project, born out of a concrete need, which shows that efficient automation can be achieved without complication.

👉 Want to see how Youzer can automate your accesses, without unnecessary complexity?

• Request a demo

‍