IT onboarding might seem like an easy process to implement for new hires, but the reality is that good IT onboarding is a lot harder to figure out. It’s a complicated subset of the broader onboarding process that focuses specifically on all the technical setup required to get new employees up and running. Especially if you’re onboarding remote employees—which is a common circumstance nowadays—there are layers upon layers of challenges.
Putting on a welcoming smile, setting up meetings with all the right people, and going over job responsibilities seem like a walk in the park compared to the intricacies of technical training and IT equipment deployment. But these inherent challenges don’t mean you have to live and let live—there are ways to improve IT onboarding once you recognize what’s causing those hang-ups.
What Constitutes IT Onboarding?
In the realm of IT onboarding, the information technology part is the operative phrase. We’re talking about the part of the induction process that involves all the technology and tools that a new hire will have to learn to use and access, including software installation, security training, documentation, hardware, and user accounts.
It’s a lot more than just handing over a company laptop and a headset and giving them access to the applicable business documents. The employee’s entire tech environment should be considered in order for them to effectively integrate into their new role. Their devices need to be configured for that role, they need the proper software installed, and permissions need to be put in place for them to access the right systems. Beyond that, they need the training to successfully use and access everything, as well as know how to stay vigilant against security breaches and protect company data.
What Gets in the Way of IT Onboarding?
All those activities are difficult to juggle when onboarding an employee in person and even harder to deal with when it comes to remote onboarding. Amidst the chaos, there are three major obstacles that all companies often come across during the IT onboarding process:
Disconnect between HR and IT departments
Without strong communication between the HR and IT departments, businesses are bound to experience delays in device setup and other issues relating to IT provision. Both of these departments are focused on widely different things, but they are two parts of the same equation.
While HR deals with all the legal and compliance aspects of onboarding, they’re also responsible for letting IT know that there’s a new hire that needs specific equipment and software ready for their arrival. With no system in place to facilitate this communication, the employee bears the consequences, feeling lost and confused without the proper tools on their first day.
Poor device procurement and provisioning system
Especially if a company has employees and contractors located in different cities or countries, device procurement and provisioning becomes a feat. Figuring out how to get items from point A to point B on time and accurately is often a challenge for businesses, particularly if you add in the constantly changing hardware and the lengthy ordering process. Make mistakes in the process and you’ll have to pay the price in time, effort, and cost.
Lack of access to SaaS applications
In addition to hardware provisioning, granting access to these new hires is just as important to IT onboarding. Companies who use a vast range of SaaS applications need a comprehensive checklist to make sure every employee has the tools and permissions they need to do their job from the get go.
How Modern Tech Can Make IT Onboarding a Breeze
If your business has fallen victim to these obstacles in the past and you haven’t changed your approach, it might be time for a revamp in the form of a modern IT onboarding solution. A comprehensive IT asset management software accessible by all key stakeholders in the onboarding process, can provide a transparent, real-time view of all your organization’s assets. You’ll see where in the world they’re located, who they’re assigned to, all across their lifecycle.
ITAM software can entirely automate procurement and provisioning activities, minimizing those pesky human errors and handling everything from ordering the device to getting it to the new hire. IT and HR departments can create standard protocols for a variety of specific roles and enjoy a more integrated relationship.
Choose Dots as Your IT Onboarding Solution
Dots combines absolutely every aspect of the onboarding and offboarding experience into one IT asset management platform. With end-to-end logistic solutions, full-cycle IT asset lifecycle management, and equipment logging and storage in one place, new employees, HR, and IT will never feel that disconnect again. Designed to accommodate in-person, hybrid, and remote teams, this dedicated software can simplify what would otherwise be a cumbersome process.
Ready to perfect your IT onboarding process? Book a demo with Dots today.