Offboarding staff & the impacts on business security

Many businesses are focused on a great first impression and have onboarding down to an art: a shiny new laptop, branded coffee cup and plenty of documented instructions. 

Yet for many organisations, offboarding remains ad-hoc, inconsistent, or rushed — and that can leave major vulnerabilities exposed. Having an offboarding process in place is critical for protecting your company’s data, reputation, and operational security. 

Here’s why secure offboarding matters, the risks of getting it wrong, and how to protect your business through better processes. 

Why offboarding is a security priority 

When an employee leaves, they often still hold the keys to a wide range of critical systems, accounts, devices, and data, including intellectual property, sensitive client information, financial systems, and internal communications. 

If those access points aren’t properly disabled, they can become major risks. Not necessarily because of malicious intent (although that happens too), but through simple oversight, misunderstandings, or forgotten access privileges. 

Secure offboarding helps you: 

• Protect confidential and sensitive information 

• Reduce the risk of data breaches and insider threats 

• Maintain compliance with data protection regulations 

• Preserve client trust and company reputation 

What can go wrong? 

1. Orphaned accounts 
Former employees’ accounts (especially in cloud systems) may stay active long after they’ve left, creating a backdoor for unauthorised access. 

2. Data exfiltration 
Departing staff may intentionally or unintentionally take sensitive files with them, especially if they’ve used personal devices or cloud storage. 

3. Shadow access 
Employees often have hidden or indirect access to more systems than HR or IT realise, through integrated apps, shared passwords, or collaboration platforms. 

4. Third-party services 
Access to customer relationship management (CRM) tools, marketing platforms, finance apps, or supply chain systems might be overlooked if not formally documented. 

5. Reputation damage 
A breach tied to a former employee’s access can cause significant harm to customer trust, partner relationships, and brand reputation. 

How to strengthen your offboarding process 

1. Start with a clear offboarding checklist 
Work with HR, IT, and team managers to create a consistent, detailed offboarding checklist that covers: 

• Deactivation of accounts across all systems (email, CRM, cloud storage, internal tools) 

• Revoking physical access (office entry, building passes, company devices) 

• Retrieval or remote wiping of company-issued devices 

• Formal return of any sensitive documents or data 

• Removal from internal mailing lists, chat groups, and project sites 

2. Include IT in an exit interview 
Exit interviews are typically focused on feedback and HR paperwork, but they’re also a critical security checkpoint. Take the opportunity to ask specific questions about what systems, apps, devices, and files the employee had access to, including any unofficial or ad-hoc tools they may have used during their role. Employees often have access pathways that aren’t managed internally — like shared Dropbox folders, marketing automation platforms, or apps they’ve used within their own team on projects or collaborations. You’ll also become aware of any accounts where they’ve used their personal credentials for access. 

3. Audit and monitor post-departure 
After deactivating their accounts, run a full audit to check: 

• Are there any active sessions still running? 

• Are there connected third-party apps that still have permissions? 

• Is there any unusual login activity in the days following departure? Set up alerts for any suspicious activity tied to former user accounts. 

Proactive monitoring helps catch anything that might have slipped through the cracks during the initial offboarding. 

4. Manage shared credentials carefully 
Shared credentials — like marketing tool logins, social media accounts, or legacy system passwords — are often the weakest link after an employee leaves. If multiple people used the same password, it's critical to change it immediately. 

Even better, use a password manager that allows you to share access securely and lets you revoke access instantly when someone departs.  

5. Protect company IP and client data 
Before an employee leaves, make sure all critical files, data, and intellectual property are transferred to company-owned storage systems. This could include project files, client contracts, proprietary templates, product designs, marketing assets, and more. Check personal drives, desktop folders, and external storage devices. If necessary, conduct a remote wipe or device audit to ensure sensitive information isn’t walking out the door, even unintentionally. 

6. Automate offboarding 

To do this quickly, efficiently, and reduce the chance of missteps in the process we recommend automating as much of the offboarding workflow as possible. You can use built-in capabilities within Microsoft 365 supplemented by third-party tools when needed.  

Offboarding is a critical security checkpoint 

By treating offboarding with the same level of structure and urgency as onboarding, you can protect your organisation’s assets, reputation, and compliance, while maintaining a clear, professional process for departing employees to follow. 

If you need help reviewing your offboarding processes or tightening up access control, reach out to talk to our team.