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A Proof of Concept in Technology
An organization with more than 1,200 employees spread across the Netherlands faced complex business structures, leading to significant HR challenges. With numerous manual tasks and approvals required, Identity Lifecycle Management for employees, freelancers, and consultants was a time-consuming task, also posing significant security risks. Consequently, they turned to Microsoft for a solution.
With 20 years of experience in Microsoft solutions, we were given the opportunity to conduct a Proof of Concept (PoC) for a technical company specializing in security technology and climate installations.
Use Cases and Objectives
For this client, we tested three use cases:
- User Provisioning – Linking the HR system to user profiles.
- Lifecycle Workflows – Automating tasks based on templates such as ‘pre-joiner,’ ‘joiner,’ ‘leaver,’ and ‘post-leaver.’
- Entitlement Management – Automatically adding users to groups and granting access to applications.
As expected in a company of this size, they worked with a series of standards and processes that needed consistent adherence. In practice, these were not always adequately executed, leading to gaps that could impact security.
With this in mind, we established the following objectives:
- Reducing the risk of data breaches, especially during employee offboarding.
- Saving time through the automation of identity lifecycle management.
- Increasing standardization through fixed rights and role sets.
Ensuring reliable source data.
In May 2024, Microsoft introduced a new product: Entra ID Governance, a cloud-based connection between HR systems and Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) that optimizes identity management. This connection ensures that the right people automatically get the right access to the right applications and services at the right time.
Various stakeholders actively contributed to the PoC: the Information, Security & Continuity officer, HR, and IT managers were closely involved. This is crucial because Entra ID Governance is not just about technology. By prioritizing HR business processes and data, you ensure that the source data is reliable.
Their HR source system was already AFAS, but other systems—cloud-based or on-premise—can also be connected to this Microsoft solution.
The PoC, conducted with an anonymized dataset in just five days, demonstrated significant efficiency gains through the automation of user permissions and other tasks during onboarding, role changes, and offboarding. Changes in the HR system were immediately reflected across departments without further IT actions.
Significant Efficiency Gains and Maximum Digital Security
The client was impressed with the results. Entra ID Governance ensured optimal data security by automatically revoking user rights upon departure or role change. This guarantees that only the right people have access to sensitive data and systems. Moreover, the standardization of rights and role sets adds extra security, ease of use, and time savings.
Microsoft’s Entra ID Governance offers a cloud solution that delivers efficiency, security, and productivity. Its cloud-based nature eliminates the need for on-premise infrastructure, making it accessible for organizations of any size. While the technology requires some knowledge and expertise, it is not time-consuming, provided clear agreements are made about business rules and logic. Early involvement of HR and IT is crucial for maximum results.
Setting up the technology requires the right knowledge and expertise but is not time-consuming. It is important to first make concrete and consistent agreements about business rules and logic, both for the organization as a whole and for the various departments. Therefore, early involvement of HR and IT is essential to achieve maximum results.