Our role as Microsoft Technology Advisors means we are well set up to answer all sorts of questions. Occasionally, we get questions like this: Can Microsoft 365 onboarding be automated? And if so, what would the advantages be?  

They are great questions definitely worth answering.

The short answer is that Microsoft 365 onboarding can be automated. You need some additional tools to do so, specifically Microsoft Forms and Power Automate (formerly known as Microsoft Flow). Also be aware that setting up automation can be tricky. The good news is that once it is set up, MS 365 onboarding becomes a breeze.

The basic concept is to use Microsoft Forms to create all the necessary documents. Meanwhile, Power Automate can be set up to facilitate onboarding by serving documents, gathering data, and so forth. Automation drastically reduces the amount of time an organization's IT staff needs to invest in bringing new team members on board with MS 365.

What You Can Do With Automation

Automation technologies have advanced to the point that just about anything is in play. Any kind of repetitive task not requiring direct human intervention can be automated. But what about Microsoft 365 onboarding in particular? Here are some of the things you can do with automation:

• Create user accounts and groups

• Assign new team members to user groups

• Assign all appropriate MS licenses

• Send onboarding notifications

• Set up access controls

The scope of your organization's onboarding automation is directly linked to how you use Microsoft 365. Your IT team will have to look at everything from service accounts and mailboxes to team channels and data encryption.

The Benefits of Automation

The fact that you can automate MS 365 onboarding is one thing. Whether or not your organization benefits from doing so is another. Among the most important benefits is greater efficiency. Do not underestimate its importance.

Onboarding is a necessary part of running a business. Where Microsoft 365 is concerned, onboarding can become more complicated thanks to so many license types, user accounts, apps, and use cases. Licensing is never as easy as it appears – even when you are not dealing with an onboarding situation.

The point here is that manual onboarding is time consuming and inefficient. Automation changes everything. Automation can accomplish in minutes what would take IT staff members hours to accomplish.

Onboarding automation benefits organizations in other ways, to:

• Automation ensures onboarding consistency and reduces errors

• Users enjoy an improved onboarding experience

• Onboarding can be customized to unique organizational needs

• Automation can be fully integrated with HR systems

• Automated processes enhance both compliance and security

• Automation makes scaling the onboarding process easier

Bringing everything together is the ability to improve tracking and auditing. As a general rule, automated systems are better at gathering and analyzing data related to onboarding. Better data equals improved tracking and auditing.

A Reminder About Microsoft Licensing

Before an organization undertakes the task of automating MS 365 onboarding, it is important to do a thorough Microsoft license audit. It's imperative that an organization's licensing be in compliance before automation. Otherwise, automated systems could compound compliance issues. That's the last thing you want.

If your organization finds itself bogged down in slow and inefficient MS 365 onboarding, it might be worth your while to take a look at automating it. Automation could make a significant difference for your HR department, your IT team, and your new employees.

In the meantime, we invite you to contact us to learn more about our Microsoft 365 licensing support and managed services. We are your MS 365 experts, here to help you every step of the way.