It’s always exciting for organizations when their business scales well, and with that, there’s an increase in their employee base. This also means onboarding new employees with designated user accounts. The same holds true for account removals during offboarding when employees leave an organization. However, this can be an overwhelming experience for IT teams without the proper tools and solutions in place.
Many organizations manually handle user onboarding and offboarding, which drains valuable IT resources. Thankfully, there’s a better solution. User identity lifecycle management plays a critical role in IT operations, from onboarding to offboarding accounts.
This blog will explain user lifecycle management, how it functions, and why businesses should embrace automated onboarding and offboarding processes.
What is User Lifecycle Management?
User lifecycle management, or ULM, refers to the processes involved in managing the identity and access rights of users across various IT systems and applications throughout the duration of their employment within an organization. From the moment new employees are onboarded until the time they leave the company, every step in their user account lifecycle must be meticulously managed to ensure security, compliance, and efficiency.
Importance of User Lifecycle Management in Modern Organizations
The necessity for robust user lifecycle management stems from the need to control access to sensitive information and ensure only authorized individuals have the appropriate levels of access at all times. Effective lifecycle management features mitigate risks, reduce administrative overhead, and enhance the overall productivity of an organization. They also play a crucial role in compliance with various regulatory requirements that govern data access and privacy.
Key Elements of User Lifecycle Management
The primary goal of user lifecycle or user account management is to ensure access to corporate resources is granted appropriately, managed efficiently, and revoked securely, aligning with the ongoing changes in an employee’s role and status within the organization.
Effective ULM encompasses several key aspects:
Identity Creation and Onboarding: At the start of an employee’s lifecycle, ULM involves creating a digital identity that reflects their real-world attributes (such as name, department, and job role). This identity then serves as the foundation for granting access to necessary IT systems and applications.
Access Management: This continuous process involves adjusting a user’s access rights in response to changes such as promotions, departmental shifts, or changes in job function. Proper access management ensures users have the rights they need to fulfill their roles without compromising the security or integrity of the system.
Regular Auditing and Compliance: User lifecycle management requires regular audits of user access rights to ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations. This auditing process helps identify and rectify inconsistencies or unnecessary access privileges that pose security risks.
Offboarding and Identity Deletion: The final phase of the identity management lifecycle involves securely deactivating user accounts and archiving necessary data when an employee leaves the company. Prompt and thorough offboarding prevents potential security vulnerabilities that could arise from ex-employees retaining access to corporate resources.
Security and Risk Management: Maintaining security throughout the user lifecycle is paramount. ULM systems must be capable of detecting and responding to anomalous activities that may indicate security threats, such as unauthorized access or attempts to exploit user credentials.
Need for Automating User Account Lifecycle Management
For modern workplaces, automation of business processes is fundamental to streamlined operations, and user lifecycle management is no exception. Here’s why:
Scaling Becomes Easier
While small companies might handle adding new employees manually, managing user identity and access throughout their time with the company (user lifecycle management) becomes much more work for larger organizations. This can take a lot of time and effort.
Improved Onboarding Experience
Automated user provisioning creates a smoother onboarding process for new hires. Instead of IT manually setting up access to all the apps a new employee needs, an automated workflow takes care of it. This ensures new hires have everything they need to start working right away, on their first day.
Reduced Security Risks with Automated Deprovisioning
IT departments can find manually removing former employees’ access to the system a bit challenging. Automated deprovisioning solves this problem by ensuring previous employees are removed from the system immediately upon the end of employment, not weeks later. This means they lose access to company apps and sensitive data as soon as they leave the organization.
Role of IT Administrators in User Lifecycle Management
IT administrators are the mainstay for implementing and maintaining user lifecycle management systems. Their responsibilities include:
Implementation and Configuration
IT administrators are typically responsible for ULM systems’ initial setup and configuration. This includes selecting appropriate ULM software that integrates seamlessly with the organization’s existing IT infrastructure, such as directory services and other enterprise applications. Administrators must configure ULM to align with internal policies and compliance requirements, setting up workflows for onboarding, role transitions, and offboarding.
Provisioning and Deprovisioning of User Access
One of the most tangible roles of IT administrators in ULM is managing the provisioning and deprovisioning of user access. This involves creating user accounts, setting up appropriate devices with access permissions based on role-specific templates, and ensuring employees have the necessary resources at the right time. Conversely, when an employee leaves or changes roles within the company, IT administrators must ensure access rights are adjusted or revoked accordingly to maintain security integrity.
Regular Audits and Compliance Checks
To comply with various regulatory frameworks and internal security policies, IT administrators conduct regular audits of user access rights. These audits help identify and rectify any access discrepancies, such as overly permissive access, orphan accounts (accounts that remain active after an employee leaves), and other anomalies that could lead to security breaches. Ensuring compliance protects the organization from potential data breaches and legal and financial penalties associated with non-compliance.
Security Monitoring and Risk Management
IT administrators are also on the front lines of monitoring for any signs of security breaches or suspicious activities within user accounts. Utilizing advanced identity & access management (IAM) with multi-factor authentication (MFA), conditional access, and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities can ensure uptight security and mitigate risks. A proactive approach to security helps safeguard sensitive corporate data and systems from both internal and external threats.
Training and Support
Another vital aspect of the IT administrator’s role in ULM is to provide training and support to employees. This includes educating users on best security practices, such as password management, recognizing phishing attempts, and providing ongoing support for any access-related issues they encounter. Training helps reduce human errors that could lead to security risks and ensures all employees know the organization’s security policies and compliance requirements.
Continuous Improvement and Updates
IT administrators are responsible for keeping the ULM systems up to date with the latest security patches and updates. As technology and business needs change, they must also assess and implement improvements to ULM processes and tools, ensuring the organization remains at the cutting edge of security and efficiency. This may involve integrating new technologies, upgrading existing systems, and continuously refining the ULM strategy to meet the organization’s needs better.
Ensure Seamless User Lifecycle Management with Scalefusion OneIdP
Effective user lifecycle management is crucial for any organization aiming to maintain high levels of security and efficiency in managing user identities and access permissions. From the onset of onboarding to the final aspects of offboarding, automation via ULM benefits both the organization and the employees.
The Scalefusion OneIdP suite lets organizations implement user lifecycle management seamlessly with intelligent MFA. Admins can efficiently control user access to devices and applications through a tailored experience. It ensures each individual user can access the necessary resources without jeopardizing the system’s integrity. IT can enable specific access levels and withdraw them upon a user’s departure from the organization.
Do you need to transform your user onboarding and offboarding? Schedule a demo with our experts to learn more about Scalefusion OneIdP and its user lifecycle management capabilities.
