Streamlining the staff leaver process – Steps to protect your business following an employee leaving.

It’s possible that without the right exit process in place, your former employees could use their old credentials to view personally identifiable information or commercially sensitive data which poses a possible risk to you, your business and most importantly your reputation and your clients. And this is more common than you may think. Almost 90% of employees admitted to retaining access to at least one platform from a former employer (Solarwindsmsp, 2019), highlighting the importance of implementing policies and maintaining a consistent approach to risk management, particularly in relation to staff leaving under a cloud.

Here at Infuse, we have compiled 5 tips to prevent harm when an employee has left:  

1. Only grant access when absolutely necessary.

By making sure employees only have the level of access they need to fulfil their roles, organisations can restrict system privileges and access to data by granting granular permissions (principle granting the minimum privilege required). By using a password tool employers can be assured that employees are granted access on a need-specific basis. Employers can revoke access to maintain security and protect company data as and when required.

2. Standardise knowledge sharing. 

Standardising knowledge sharing by using centralised software to ensure company information is properly documented and accessible if an employee leaves the business. By having set practices in place to be adhered to consistently, this can act as a preventative measure and pre-empt any data breaches by rouge ex-employees. For example, Microsoft Teams – by all data being accessible on one platform, once an employee departs the business access can be revoked and any remaining data, files and information can be readily accessed by the employer and used for further business purposes.

3. Revoke access and credential audit following a departure

Once an employee leaves, access to systems and applications should be immediately shut down. Systems should be also monitored for any access attempts and usual behaviours. For employees who had access to sensitive data, this level of monitoring should be in place prior to their departure as prevention is better than cure.  Employees who are potentially leaving the company could begin copying files and installing harmful software, by monitoring employee behaviour, the risk of individuals harming the business is greatly reduced.

4. Do not share login credentials.

By giving anyone else your login details, you are compromising the security of your account. They may note them down and store in an unsafe location without considering the wider implications of the account becoming compromised. By making sure users have accounts that grant permissions to fulfil their job roles and do not share accounts, you can mitigate the risks presented once an employee has left and securely revoke access at any time. Employers can also use password manager to control the access to sites and cloud services in use within your business.

5. Automate password and documentation management.

By using password management tools to automate the process can act as a preventative measure. By opting to use Password Manager software, they can generate, create and rotate secure passwords. However, some organisations still rely on human password management leaving firms at risk of data and information being compromised.

Other considerations

Connecting all cloud-based systems to use ‘Single Sign On’, once a user has left, access to all Single Sign On systems can be blocked. 

Another area often overlooked can be maternity leave- where the staff member may choose not to return to work but may slip through the net during the off-boarding process. 

Infuse can offer a variety of methods to help keep you safe once an employee has left your organisation and secure you leaver processes.  

If you’d like help refining your leaver process from a tech perspective and learn how to mitigate risk appropriately, you can contact our team on 01332 374444 or by e-mailing hello@infusetech.co.uk