Provisioning is the process of granting employees access to an organization’s applications, tools, IT resources, and data. This information is usually granted manually and is based on permission levels.
New hires often end up waiting days or even weeks to access data or applications relevant to their job, causing issues with productivity. Or, departing employees are not immediately de-provisioned, leaving them with access to company data and applications for a period after ending their employment with the company. This could seriously impact the integrity of an organization’s data, especially if the employee is going to work for a rival company.
Automated provisioning seeks to address the delays in provisioning and de-provisioning by streamlining the process through a series of intra-company applications.
How does automated provisioning work?
Let’s look at a simple example.
When a new hire is employed, the HRIS system sends a notification to the relevant stakeholders requesting access for the new hire to certain applications, tools, and data. The manager receives a request for information on the relevant applications and access level of the new hire. Then the IT department receives a request to activate the applications and access level of the new hire on their first day of employment.
The same process applies to termination of employment and employees being promoted or demoted.
What are the benefits of automated provisioning?
You may wonder: Should I get automated provision? Here are five benefits.
1. Saves money
The system, implementation, and deployment may be somewhat costly. But it pays for itself in the long run, while also saving the company money. It reduces onboarding costs by streamlining the process and getting new hires to hit the ground running, saving money on operational costs.
In addition, automated provisioning saves time by reducing man-hours and overtime. For example, when onboarding a large group, such as in the case of a merger, automated provisioning can cut down on onboarding hours and allow IT and HR to place their time and attention on other projects.
2. Improved productivity
New hires are able to access relevant applications and data on their first day of employment. This means that they are able to hit the ground running and start being productive from day one.
Similarly, when employees move to new positions, they are quickly, effectively, and efficiently granted access to the relevant IT resources, applications, and data, allowing them to start work immediately.
3. Scalable
The system is scalable, which means that it can grow and accommodate the growth of your business and business needs. For example, in the event that you need to open a new branch and undergo a large onboarding process in a short amount of time, the system can scale to meet these needs.
4. Compliance
The system helps keep networks secure by allowing management to control who has access to which tools and applications while also tracing account activity.
5. Transparency
Admin is able to track and view who has access, which levels are being accessed, and how employees use access. This allows the admin to adjust access accordingly, giving transparency to the process.