Hiring a new employee feels productive.
An employee leaving feels administrative.

But from a security perspective, both moments are high-risk events.

And for many small businesses, they’re handled casually.

Most breaches don’t begin with sophisticated hackers forcing their way in.
They begin with access that was never configured correctly - or never removed at all.

That’s not a technology failure.

It’s a process failure.

Download the Checklist

Want to see exactly what should happen every time someone joins or leaves your company?

Download Info Advantage’s Onboarding & Offboarding Security Checklist HERE

(If it’s not written down, it won’t happen consistently.)

Why Onboarding and Offboarding Are IT Issues

In many SMBs, onboarding and offboarding sit with HR. IT gets notified eventually - sometimes days later.

That delay creates exposure.

During Onboarding

• New hires receive excessive access “just in case”

• Shared passwords are reused for convenience

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is postponed to save time

• Access is granted without documentation

The result? Over-permissioned users from day one.

During Offboarding

• Accounts remain active “until someone gets to it”

• Personal devices still sync company email

• Shared credentials aren’t changed

• No one verifies what access actually existed

None of this is malicious.

But it creates real, measurable risk.

The Risks Most Businesses Don’t See

Excessive Access

New employees often inherit access from the previous role holder. Over time, permissions stack. Systems evolve. Responsibilities shift.

No one reviews what’s still necessary.

This violates the principle of least privilege - and dramatically increases breach impact if credentials are compromised.

Delayed Access Removal

Even a few hours of lingering access can expose:

• Client communications

• Financial data

• Internal documentation

• Intellectual property

If a departure is unexpected or contentious, the risk multiplies.

Shared Credentials

If multiple people know the same password:

• There is no accountability

• There is no clean audit trail

• There is no simple way to revoke access

Shared credentials eliminate control.

Compliance & Insurance Exposure

Cyber insurance carriers and regulatory frameworks increasingly expect:

• Role-based access

• Documented provisioning

• Immediate deprovisioning

Failure to demonstrate this can complicate claims, audits, and renewals.

That’s not just a security issue.

It’s a business continuity issue.

What a Secure Process Actually Looks Like

You don’t need enterprise software or complex workflows.

You need clarity. Ownership. Consistency.

Onboarding Essentials

• Create individual user accounts (never shared logins)

• Assign access based strictly on job role

• Enable MFA from day one

• Enroll devices in management tools

• Document what access was granted and why

Offboarding Essentials

• Disable accounts immediately on the employee’s last day

• Revoke access to email, file storage, VPN, and SaaS platforms

• Reset any shared credentials

• Recover or remotely wipe company devices

• Confirm removal of third-party application access

• Document completion

If it isn’t documented, it isn’t defensible.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Remote work, cloud platforms, and SaaS adoption have changed the access model completely.

Employees no longer work inside a perimeter.
They work from everywhere.

Security now depends on identity and access control - not office walls.

Platforms like Microsoft 365 make access management significantly easier - but only when policies are enforced consistently.

The technology is mature.

The discipline must match it.

Start Small (That’s How This Works)

If this feels overwhelming, start with one operational improvement:

• Implement a mandatory onboarding checklist

• Implement a mandatory offboarding checklist

• Establish a policy that access is role-based and time-bound

• Assign ownership - someone is accountable every time

Perfection is not required.

Consistency is.

The Bottom Line

Onboarding and offboarding are not administrative tasks.

They are security controls.

When access is granted intentionally and removed immediately, you:

• Reduce breach risk

• Protect client trust

• Strengthen compliance posture

• Improve audit readiness

• Protect insurance eligibility

At Info Advantage, we help small and mid-sized businesses implement secure, repeatable onboarding and offboarding processes - without slowing hiring or creating unnecessary friction.

Because the easiest breaches to prevent are the ones caused by missed steps.