News and Insights – September 2015

One of the most overlooked aspects of small business IT is onboarding and offboarding staff. Laptops are issued, email accounts are created, but what happens when an employee leaves? Too often, critical access remains active far longer than it should—or worse, forgotten altogether.

This month we’re focusing on practical ways to close the IT gaps that come with staff changes and reduce the risk of data exposure, system misuse, or noncompliance.

The Risks of Informal Processes

Whether you're scaling fast or replacing a departing team member, your IT environment should be prepared for transitions. Manual steps, unclear responsibilities, and outdated permissions all create blind spots.

Signs You Need a Better Process

• Former staff still appear in contact lists or shared folders
• Shared passwords haven’t been changed in over 6 months
• There’s no documented process for onboarding/offboarding
• Ex-staff can still access company data from personal devices
• Key systems (email, CRM, files) aren’t centrally controlled

Here is a template that helps define the essential steps when staff join or leave the business: IT Staff Onboarding & Offboarding Template

Process matters—especially when it comes to protecting your business from accidental or intentional misuse of systems and data. Let’s make it seamless, secure, and scalable.