Do you have an exit plan for members of staff when it comes to their IT?
When employees leave organisations it can produce so much admin that IT offboarding if often left to the wayside.
Plus unfortunately, not all employees leave on reasonable terms, and without the right plan, there are some potentially damaging consequences.
Here’s an overview of some of the worst-case scenarios, plus how to produce a successful employee offboarding IT policy to stay protected and save money.
Data Security – If ex-employees still have access to systems, it could potentially expose the business to files being deleted or their client databases entering the public domain (either accidentally or maliciously). A successful offboarding process ensures data access is removed so sensitive data stays secure and private.
Reputation – If you are offboarding a disgruntled employee, it leaves systems open for them to sabotage. If they still have access to emails, all it takes is a email sent to clients, partners or customers.
Cyber Breaches – If passwords are not changed, it could lead to data being sold to cybercriminals, potentially damaging reputation and risking financial loss.
Compliance – Certain industries must comply with guidelines and regulations for employees leaving. If personal data is at risk, it could lead to a GDPR breach, financial loss and damaged client relationships.
Things you can do internally
- Set up a process between IT and HR – so they automatically tell IT if anybody is leaving, when they are leaving (and indeed if returning at any point) etc.
- Appoint an IT provider such as GHM to manage access, identity controls etc.
- Keep a record of devices used – ensure these are all returned as even if they are historic, they could still contain sensitive data.
- Create an offboarding IT checklist and share with HR and managers.
How GHM Handles IT Offboarding for Our Clients
We’ll streamline the entire offboarding IT process each time a member of staff leaves.
Our Account Managers will help too create and implement an offboarding checklist when you come on board.
We’ll also discuss recommendations for improving business security and efficiency for offboarding. This will include IT Security, using personal devices for work purposes, Password Protection guidelines, and having a robust data access policy.
Lastly, don’t forget about the monthly licences. Are these being reused? Or are you still paying fees for licences not in use? We can review your licenses to make sure you’re not paying for licenses you’re not using.
For further information on our IT offboarding services, contact us on 01865 367111.