What is user provisioning?

User provisioning simplifies managing user accounts, ensuring each person has the access they need — no more, no less.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What user provisioning is and why it’s important.
• Key benefits of automating user provisioning.
• How deprovisioning maintains security.
• Different types of provisioning systems like SCIM and JIT.
• How WorkOS makes user provisioning easier with Directory Sync.

What is user provisioning, and why is it important?

User provisioning, also called identity provisioning, is the process of creating, managing, and maintaining user accounts across apps and systems.

In Identity and Access Management (IAM), a user provisioning policy ensures appropriate access based on roles, with the flexibility to adjust or revoke it as needed.

Key benefits of automated user provisioning

1. Enhanced security: Proper user provisioning ensures access matches user roles, preventing unauthorized access and data breaches.
2. Improved efficiency: Provisioning improves efficiency, particularly for IT and HR teams. Automating the process means new users can access the necessary tools and apps without waiting for manual setups.
3. Automated onboarding and offboarding: During onboarding, automated employee provisioning ensures that a new hire’s account is set up across all necessary systems as soon as they join, without delays. Conversely, during offboarding, it ensures that all access is promptly removed, reducing the risk of lingering permissions that could pose security risks.‍
4. Compliance: Effective user provisioning is crucial for complying with data privacy regulations like GDPR, which require organizations to have appropriate access controls.

How does user deprovisioning work?

User deprovisioning removes access to data and applications from a user. It is the exact opposite of user provisioning. Deprovisioning reduces security risks by immediately cutting off access to all systems, applications, and data when an employee leaves the company. sitive data.

Suppose a current employee’s account is compromised due to a stolen device. In that case, IT can quickly deprovision that user’s account.

Types of provisioning systems

The two most commonly used protocols for user provisioning are:

SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) 

SCIM automates user provisioning by syncing accounts across systems with a standard API. It keeps user data in sync between identity providers and applications.

Unlike JIT provisioning, SCIM keeps user data in sync on an ongoing basis. This means it continuously syncs user data, automatically communicating changes — like email updates or role changes — to connected apps. 

However, this capability comes with a trade-off: SCIM requires more setup upfront, including configuring schemas, endpoints, and data synchronization rules. 

JIT (Just-in-Time) provisioning

JIT takes a different approach. Instead of synchronizing user data continuously like SCIM, JIT provisions accounts on the fly when a user logs in for the first time. During this initial login, it pulls user details from the identity provider and sets up the account immediately. 

JIT doesn’t need an initial setup like SCIM. However, additional logic is often needed to handle role assignments during the first login and any updates to user data over time, as it doesn’t automatically manage changes throughout the user’s lifecycle as SCIM does.

Learn more: SCIM vs JIT: What’s the difference

Best practices for implementing user provisioning

Here are some best practices for setting up user provisioning:

• Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to group users with similar job functions and assign them the same access rights. This simplifies managing permissions as users join, leave, or change organizational roles.
• Audit access regularly: Don’t set it and forget it. Make a habit of auditing user access to ensure everyone still has the correct permissions. This will help you catch outdated access and clean up any unused accounts.
• Automated workflows: Integrate your HR systems with IT systems to keep user data in sync. This way, when someone joins, they get immediate access to the tools they need, and when they leave, their access is cut off right away. It saves time, reduces errors, and ensures no one keeps access longer than they should.

How WorkOS supports user provisioning

Managing user provisioning across different directories is challenging, especially when each handles SCIM differently. Instead of wrestling with these variations, try WorkOS’s unified solution. 

With Directory Sync by WorkOS, you can automatically provision and deprovision users based on changes in any directory, whether it's Workday, Rippling, BambooHR, or other HR systems.

Sign-up for WorkOS today, and start selling to enterprise customers tomorrow.