Among new technologies making a splash in today's workplace are innovations in employee identity management. Though traditionally the domain of IT, HR departments are taking a more active interest in the provisioning and assignment of user identities. Increased security interests across the organization, combined with a drive to conserve resources and boost ROI, are drawing attention to a new 'best in class' in identity provisioning solutions.

What is identity provisioning? Not a new term, provisioning refers to the assignment and management of user identities and access permissions across the organization. When a new employee joins a company there are several accesses that much be assigned to him or her: email accounts, ERP access, building access, remote-access networking, firewalls, etc. Likewise, when an employee changes positions or leaves the organization, the employee's access set must be changed or eliminated.

At most companies today, employees are assigned multiple "identities" in the system, e.g. different logins identities and passwords to access different systems. This process is not only labor intensive for IT departments to set up and manage, but time consuming as well. Today, 45% percent of calls to help desks alone concern password issues. Though a seemingly direct process, the business of managing user identity is often marked by a high degree of delay and inefficiency. Has someone in your organization ever had a problem getting a name changed or address updated across company systems? What about password lock-outs?

Because user identities are scattered across a wide range of internal and external computing systems, the chance that some changes will only be partially executed is very high. A change might occur in one data repository and not another. According to a study by the META Group, the average time needed to assign or remove network access can range from 6 to 29 hours. These are hours in which critical systems are left exposed to unauthorized breaches and data downloads. These delays also amount to lost productivity as new employees must wait for days, even weeks, for systems to become fully operational.

New provisioning technologies by IBM, Waveset, and Novell are solving the 'multiple identity' problem by centralizing the provisioning process with one password or biometric for use across the company. Solutions such as Waveset's "Identity Broker" are able to communicate across systems, granting and revoking accesses in a timely, automated fashion. Without multiple identities to manage, companies can access and manage employee identities more efficiently. Now, when an employee leaves the company his or her access set can be instantly revoked, without delay.

With one identity to change and reduced administrative overhead, new provisioning technologies are not only improving security, but greatly reducing the time and costs associated with assigning or removing user identities. Innovations in provisioning solutions are also giving employees increased control over their own identities. Instead of having to call the help desk to update personal information, new identity management technologies are enabling employees to manage personal information from their computer desktops. Employee information is then disseminated throughout the enterprise automatically, avoiding the help desk bottle neck.

Another benefit of improved identity management concerns company culture and worker satisfaction. Managing multiple user identities is a continual source of frustration and annoyance for employees. By improving how IT interfaces with the workforce, companies can also reduce workplace stress and reap a higher ROI on their human capital. Few would disagree that fewer calls to the IT help desk would create a happier and healthier work environment!

Recruiters World Special Reports is a timely, in-depth news series that explores vital issues and trends affecting the human-capital industry. Published monthly, Recruiters World Special Reports is presented and distributed exclusively through Recruiters World in Review. Also watch for new articles as they appear on the Recruiters World home page.