Every year, French companies lose millions of euros due to poorly managed onboarding and offboarding processes. Ghost accounts, unused licenses, security breaches: the consequences of poor digital identity management can be disastrous. This comprehensive guide provides you with proven methodologies to transform these critical moments into levers for performance and security.
The hidden cost of poor identity management
The figures are staggering. According to industry studies, a company with 500 employees wastes an average of $50,000 per year on SaaS licenses assigned to inactive accounts. Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Adobe Creative Cloud, Slack: each application generates recurring costs that accumulate silently when departures do not automatically trigger the revocation of access. This phenomenon, known as "shadow licensing," represents an invisible but very real financial drain.
The security aspect is even more worrying. Cybersecurity audits regularly reveal that 30 to 40% of Active Directory accounts belong to users who left the organization several months or even years ago. These orphan accounts are backdoors that can be exploited by external attackers or malicious former employees. The SolarWinds case demonstrated how unrevoked access could be used as a vector for intrusion into the most sensitive systems.
Beyond financial and security considerations, the human dimension deserves attention. A new employee who arrives on their first day without access to their work tools has a frustrating experience that has a lasting impact on their commitment. HR studies show that the first 90 days largely determine talent retention. A failed onboarding process can lead to premature departure, generating additional recruitment costs estimated at between six and nine months' salary.
Anatomy of an exemplary IT onboarding process
Phase 1: Strategic anticipation
Excellence in IT onboarding begins well before the employee physically arrives. As soon as the employment contract is signed, an automated workflow must be triggered to collect essential information: start date, job title, reporting line, geographic location. This data, transmitted by human resources via the HRIS, is fed directly into the provisioning systems.
Defining standard profiles by function is a major accelerator. A backend developer does not have the same needs as a field sales representative or a management controller. By precisely mapping the applications, access rights, and equipment required for each job, the company standardizes its processes while respecting the principle of least privilege. This approach limits the risk of over-allocation of rights, the leading cause of internal security breaches.
The preparation of the physical workstation completes this process. Configuring the laptop, installing business software, creating shortcuts to shared resources: every detail counts to ensure a smooth experience from the very first moment. The most advanced companies even personalize the desktop background with a welcome message mentioning the new employee's first name.
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Phase 2: Synchronized execution
On D-day, all accounts and accesses must be operational. The Active Directory account generally serves as the cornerstone, its creation triggering the provisioning of applications connected viaidentity federation protocols. The professional email address, created automatically according to a predefined naming convention, allows employees to immediately receive their first welcome messages.
The assignment of access rights to shared resources requires managerial approval. The line manager, who is automatically notified, confirms the requested authorizations via a self-service portal. Far from being an administrative burden, this approval step ensures that the access granted is appropriate and provides valuable traceability for compliance audits.
Phase 3: Ongoing support
Onboarding does not stop with the creation of accounts. During the first few weeks, new employees gradually discover their environment and identify additional needs. A simplified access request process, accessible via an intuitive portal, allows them to request additional authorizations without overloading IT support. Each request follows a validation process adapted to the sensitivity of the resource concerned.
Training in good IT security practices is a natural part of this onboarding process. Awareness of phishing, password management, use of VPNs when working remotely: these e-learning modules, rolled out gradually, build a culture of cybersecurity from day one. Trained employees become strong links in the protection chain rather than potential vulnerabilities.
Offboarding: neutralizing the risks of departure
The critical timeline of the last few hours
When an employee leaves, it triggers a race against time to secure the information system. Advance notification from HR, ideally two weeks before the effective date, allows the various steps to be calmly orchestrated. A precise schedule defines the actions to be taken: backing up personal data, transferring responsibilities, and gradually revoking non-essential access.
The last day of attendance is the critical moment. At the exact time the contract ends, all accounts are switched to inactive status. This suspension, which is preferable to immediate deletion, preserves data for a retention period defined by internal policy. Incoming emails are redirected to the manager or a designated successor to ensure continuity of professional communications.
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Recovery of digital and physical assets
The inventory of equipment entrusted to the departing employee must be exhaustive. Laptops, company smartphones, access badges, authentication tokens: each item is subject to a formalized return procedure. Removable storage media deserve special attention, as their loss could lead to leaks of sensitive data.
Recovered equipment undergoes a complete reset process before being reallocated. Secure data erasure, in accordance with current standards, ensures that no residual information remains on the disks. End-of-life equipment is subject to certified destruction, with a certificate attesting to the permanent deletion of data.
The single reference system: the cornerstone of the system
The proliferation of information sources about employees generates unmanageable inconsistencies. The HRIS contains contractual data, Active Directory stores technical accounts, and each SaaS application maintains its own user base. Without synchronization, discrepancies accumulate and create gray areas that are conducive to security incidents.
A centralized repository, fed by the HRIS as the source of truth and synchronized with all applications, solves this problem. Every personnel change, whether it's a new hire, transfer, promotion, or departure, is automatically reflected in all connected systems. The fundamental question of "who has access to what and why" is finally answered clearly and in real time.
The impact on employer attractiveness
In a tight job market, the employee experience becomes a competitive differentiator. Experienced candidates, particularly in technology professions, assess the organizational maturity of companies from the very first contact. A smooth and professional onboarding process sends a positive signal about the quality of management and internal tools.
This operational excellence is also reflected in Glassdoor reviews and testimonials shared on LinkedIn. Employees who are satisfied with their onboarding naturally become ambassadors who facilitate the recruitment of new talent. Conversely, a negative experience spreads quickly and causes lasting damage to the employer brand.
For professionals seeking opportunities, demonstrating an understanding of these organizational issues is a differentiating asset. A structured resume highlighting skills in project management, IT security, or digital transformation catches the attention of recruiters. Tools such as cvtowork allow you to create professional documents that convey this maturity and maximize your chances of landing those decisive interviews.
Towards proactive identity lifecycle management
Onboarding and offboarding are just the tip of the iceberg of a much broader issue: the ongoing management of identities throughout an employee's career. Promotions, geographical transfers, changes in scope, long-term absences: each event impacts access rights and requires an update to the information system.
Organizations that excel in this area take a holistic approach, integrating identity management into their overall digital transformation strategy. The benefits can be measured in multiple ways: reduced security risks, optimized licensing costs, improved employee experience, and enhanced regulatory compliance. It is a transformative investment that generates lasting returns for the entire company.
