Automated User Provisioning Is Now Available on IDmelon Admin Panel

What is automated user provisioning?

User provisioning is really useful when new employees are hired and onboarded into an organization, for which the IT team creates new accounts and enables them to access the organization’s resources. It also facilitates companies' passwordless authentication adoption. IT administrators first import users from Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) to IDmelon Admin Panel, assign security keys to them, and then add the security keys as a sign-in option to their accounts rather than delegate the final step to them.  

Automated user provisioning is the method of granting access to accounts within an organization, through automated practices. When a user is added to IDmelon Admin Panel through Microsoft Entra ID import, with automated user provisioning both admins and the user skip the step of adding a security key to the user’s Microsoft account.  

Unlike manual user provisioning in which credential registration is done through following instructions, automated user provisioning enables admins to register a credential on a user’s behalf with far fewer steps to take. This is a win-win for both admins and end-users, as it simplifies onboarding for both sides and brings great benefits to organizations.

How does automated user provisioning work?

When a company adopts IDmelon as a passwordless solution or later when it hires new employees, the IT admins can import their users from Microsoft Entra ID to their company’s IDmelon Admin Panel to grant them access to Microsoft Office 365 by credential registration on their behalf.

Before this automation was introduced, admins had to register credentials manually or delegate the registration to the users themselves. Then, the users had to sign into their Microsoft 365 accounts, go to profile> My Account > Security Info > and follow the instruction to add a FIDO security key manually to be able to sign into their Microsoft accounts with IDmelon.  

Now, with the Automated User Provisioning asset, taking the following easy steps will do the job:

1. As an admin, enables FIDO on Azure AD.

2. Import users from Microsoft Entra ID to IDmelon Admin Panel.

3. Assign security keys. Activate the security keys or delegate this activation process to the users.

4. Once all users are assigned a security key, go to Security Key Management and click on the Users.

5. Select the checkbox next to the user you want to provision. (Note that a passkey security key must have been assigned to the user, but it is not necessary for the security key to have been activated in IDmelon Admin Panel first.)

6. Once the checkbox is selected, click on Automated RP Provisioning in the action bar on the top right corner of the table.

7. In the dialog box that opens, choose Microsoft, and click the Submit button. Now, you’ll see a loading bar at the top of the page indicating the status of your request. Please be patient as the process may take a few seconds to a couple of minutes.

This way, users will not have to sign into Microsoft and add their security keys manually, they will be able to sign to their accounts directly and effortlessly.  

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What are the benefits of automated user provisioning?

Automated user provisioning helps relieve the burden and risk of manual provisioning and boosts the efficiency of onboarding management as new users join an organization or as an organization is deploying an authentication solution. Here are some top benefits of automated user provisioning.  

Streamlined Onboarding‍

Imagine manually onboarding and provisioning new employees or all employees when your company is rolling out a new authentication service. How do you provision them to their respected applications efficiently?

Automated user provisioning empowers you to lift the labor-intensive onboarding burden from your HR or IT department. Organizations can import their employees from Azure AD into their IDmelon Admin Panel, and through automated user provisioning, they’ll get access to Microsoft Office applications to do their job.

Seamless onboarding, which includes immediate appropriate access to resources, helps organizations retain good staff and reduce turnover of new hires. If a new employee sets foot in the office on their first day and already has access to the apps, they’ll have a head start in their new job and a greater experience than those who get the access they need after days or weeks.

Increased Productivity

Automated user provisioning also enhances productivity by giving users the access they need on day one. Admins can manage user identities across applications with a single user provisioning management interface. Users don’t have to wait to receive access, don’t need onboarding training/education, and are empowered to start their work immediately.  

Reduced Costs

By cutting down manual provisioning processes or user training, you can minimize administrative work and IT support costs, and free up time and resources for more pressing technical tasks that require admins’ expertise. You can also boost cost savings by eliminating user downtime when they don’t have the access that they need. These all result in greater productivity, lowering operational costs, and leading to greater operational efficiency.  

Error Reduction

Because automated provisioning eliminates manual data entry and processes, which are prone to human error and can cause time and financial losses, it greatly improves accuracy. There’s less of a chance of a slip-up when adding a user to the system, and provisioning access to applications.

Why your company needs automated user provisioning?

With the level of change that takes place within a company, it’s important to promptly and efficiently provision applications to both newly-joined and current employees within your organization.

From streamlining the access management process by speeding up user onboarding, enhancing employee productivity, reducing costs and error, and improving operational velocity, automated user provisioning is a game-changing phenomenon.