CASE STUDY # 6
Microsoft 365 | Azure | HR | Active Directory (AD) | User Lifecycle Automation
User Automation Assessment and Design (Part 1)
Client Industry:Â Medical
Client Environment: Microsoft 365 and Azure Active Directory
The Problem/Opportunity
- The client was in the process of consolidating existing Active Directory environments.
- User management in the source Active Directory domain was being conducted using Softerra Adaxes along with other tools.
- User management in the target Active Directory domain was integrated with Workday HRIS to automatically drive user lifecycle processes (Hire, change, termination, and rehire).
The WME Solution
- We performed a discovery session to gather customer environment information.Â
- We conducted planning workshops to define & discuss:Â
- User Lifecycle Automation
- Self Service Password Reset
- Role Based administration and Role Management
- Active Directory Administration
- Active Directory Security, Audit, and Governance
- We performed assessment of requirements.
- We presented findings and documented recommendations for:
- Target Solution
- Target solution architecture and design
- Key Configuration of the target solution
Key Challenges Encountered and Solved:
- The biggest challenge for this implementation was the large number of organizations (HR, Security, IT, Executive, Service Desk, Vendors) inside and outside the company. They all had to be involved with the entire process from decision-making to knowledge transfer.
- Logistically coordinating the meetings was a complicated effort.
- Another challenge was logging and tracking all decisions for the final definition of the systems and their implementation.
- This required an extra person on the project just to be in the meetings to record, log, and track the items.
- Because of the number of groups and people involved and changing decisions, many change requests were executed to get the solution fully implemented into the environment.
The Final Outcome
In the end, the client was fully satisfied with the assessment and awarded WME a contract to implement and deploy the solution presented in the final recommendations document/deliverable of this project.
Phase 2: The Implementation Phase
Adaxes Deployment
The Problem/Opportunity
This project was the second phase of the Adaxes implementation initiative. It was about deploying and configuring the Softerra Adaxes solution outlined in Phase I (Assessment/Recommendations) to meet the client’s automated lifecycle management needs.
The WME Solution
This Scope of Work was implemented based on the outcome of the findings and recommendations assessment conducted by WME in two weeks:Â
- User Lifecycle Automation
- Self Service Password Reset
- Role Based administration and Role Management
- Active Directory Administration
- Active Directory Security, Audit, and Governance
Softerra Adaxes was deployed with the following key configurations:Â
- User Lifecycle Automation
- Self Service Password Reset
- Subordinate User Account Management
- Role Based Access Automation
- Privileged Account Access Management
- Common interface for Active Directory Administration
- Custom Audit and privileged account status reporting
Active Directory Aging and Scavenging
Key Challenges Encountered and Solved:
- Given the project’s complexity and extended duration, maintaining the engagement of key team members proved challenging, even though their involvement was crucial for successful implementation and verification.
- To address time constraints, we considered outsourcing the solution implementation. However, we had to establish procedures to keep our in-house resources engaged in their day-to-day responsibilities.
- Moreover, there were changes made to the project compared to the initial phase 1 recommendations. We had to make sure these changes didn’t adversely affect other recommendations.
The Final Outcome
Despite these challenges, we successfully deployed the solution and retained WME resources for ongoing Adaxes expertise to handle future issues or improvements.