IT Offboarding — Insurance Edition
A procedure for securely removing IT access, recovering assets, and managing data for employees who are leaving the organisation.
Purpose
To protect organisational data and systems by promptly revoking all IT access for departing employees, recovering company assets, and preserving business data in accordance with retention policies.
Scope
Covers all IT-related activities required when an employee leaves the organisation, including access revocation, asset recovery, data preservation, and account decommissioning.
Prerequisites
- Notification from HR of the employee departure date and last working day
- Access to identity management and account administration systems
- IT asset register showing assets assigned to the departing employee
Aligns with ASIC regulatory requirements, General Insurance Code of Practice, and AFSL obligations. Includes audit trail provisions.
Step-by-Step Procedure
Receive Offboarding Notification
Receive formal notification from HR of the employee departure with the last working day and any special instructions.
- 1.1Receive the offboarding notification through the HR system or email
- 1.2Confirm the employee last working day and departure type
- 1.3Create an offboarding checklist for the specific employee
Plan Data Preservation
Coordinate with the employee manager to identify any data or files that need to be preserved or transferred before access is revoked.
- 2.1Contact the departing employee manager to discuss data requirements
- 2.2Identify files, emails, and data that need to be preserved or transferred
- 2.3Arrange data transfer to the designated successor or manager
Revoke System Access
Disable or remove the employee accounts and access to all organisational systems on or before their last working day.
- 3.1Disable the network account and email account
- 3.2Revoke access to all business applications and cloud services
- 3.3Disable VPN and remote access credentials
- 3.4Remove the user from all security groups and distribution lists
- Time access revocation to occur at the end of the last working day unless immediate termination requires earlier action
Recover IT Assets
Collect all IT assets assigned to the departing employee, including devices, access cards, and peripherals.
- 4.1Review the asset register for all items assigned to the employee
- 4.2Collect the laptop, mobile phone, access card, and any other IT equipment
- 4.3Check the condition of returned assets and note any damage
Wipe and Redeploy Devices
Securely wipe returned devices and prepare them for redeployment or disposal.
- 5.1Back up any required data from the device before wiping
- 5.2Securely wipe the device using approved data destruction methods
- 5.3Prepare the device for redeployment to another employee or disposal
Update Records and Close
Update all IT records to reflect the offboarding, including the access register, asset register, and licence assignments.
- 6.1Update the access register to show all access has been revoked
- 6.2Update the asset register to show all assets have been returned
- 6.3Release any software licences assigned to the employee
- 6.4Close the offboarding ticket and confirm completion to HR
Quality Checkpoints
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Expected Outcomes
Percentage of offboardings where all access is revoked by the end of the employee last working day.
Percentage of assigned IT assets successfully recovered during the offboarding process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to the departing employee email?
The email account is disabled on the last working day. An auto-reply may be configured to direct contacts to an alternate person. Email data is preserved according to the retention policy.
What if the employee does not return their equipment?
Unreturned equipment is reported to HR and the employee manager. The employee may be invoiced for the replacement cost. The asset register is updated to reflect the status.
When should IT offboarding begin?
IT offboarding should begin as soon as the HR notification is received, which should be at least one week before the employee last day. Data preservation planning should start immediately.
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