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SCIM User Provisioning: The Key to Achieving Onboarding Automation

Manual user provisioning across a massive software stack is a constant IT problem that’s not going away. IT Leaders worldwide have a simple choice: address it now or keep paying more for it.
Here’s the good news: products like Hire2Retire make IT onboarding automation easier and more accessible than ever before. What’s the key to it all? SCIM user provisioning.
After reading this blog, you’ll know:
Why SCIM-based user provisioning is crucial for every company
How to automate IT onboarding and access management
4 powerful benefits of onboarding automation with Hire2Retire
How to overcome the key challenges in user provisioning

What is SCIM User Provisioning and Why Does it Matter?

User provisioning is the process of creating and managing employee accounts in the software applications they need to do their job. Typically, IT admins are responsible for provisioning and de-provisioning when joiner-mover-leaver (JML) events happen.
The problem is that companies are using more software than ever; Zylo’s 2025 SaaS Management Index found that the average company has 275 applications in its portfolio. Manually provisioning accounts across that many systems is a massive, tedious undertaking.
That’s where SCIM comes in. It stands for System for Cross-Domain Identity Management, and it’s an open standard for managing user identities between identity providers (IdP) and cloud applications.
SCIM makes access provisioning simpler and faster than manual processes, which is crucial for time-sensitive identity management tasks like onboarding and offboarding.

How SCIM-Based User Provisioning Automates IT Onboarding

Companies invest heavily in hiring the right talent, but for IT, the clock starts ticking as soon as an offer letter is signed. New hires need identity accounts in each of the systems they’ll use on the job. If they aren’t ready on the employee’s first day, the onboarding process is delayed.
Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) products like Hire2Retire sync data from HR systems to IdPs like Active Directory, Google Workspace, and Okta. Then, IT onboarding tasks are automated using HR attributes as the source of truth, as illustrated in the graphic below:
Blue Background Employee Onboarding Process Graphic
Hire2Retire also enables SCIM user provisioning to a library of over 300 third-party applications. That means new hires have standardized accounts created in every system they need role-based access to, and IT doesn’t have to lift a finger.

4 Powerful Benefits of Onboarding Automation with Hire2Retire

1: Faster Onboarding that Drives Retention and Productivity

Because Hire2Retire provisions accounts the moment a new hire is recorded in the HR system, IT onboarding takes minutes instead of weeks. That means you provide a superior first-day experience, setting the stage for streamlined onboarding.
This investment in the employee experience has a clear return: SHRM found that employees are 50% more productive and 58% more likely to stay at least three years if they have structured onboarding.

2: Reduced IT Workload and Operational Costs

Companies that automate IT onboarding with Hire2Retire reduce their IT department’s identity management workload by up to 90%. With the tedious work automated, they can focus on high-priority tickets.
Hire2Retire also helps companies avoid up to 60% of IGA costs. For a company with 500 employees, that translates to over $27,000 a year!
Calculate Your Savings!

3: Continuous Compliance and Audit-Readiness

Auditors expect clear records of who has access to what, especially in industries with strict data compliance regulations. Hire2Retire’s built-in audit trail provides detailed SCIM access logs for every employee.
That avoids costly fines, makes continuous compliance easier, and ensures audits are stress-free.

4: Scalability and Futureproofing for Growing Companies

SaaS spending went up 9.3% over the last year, per Zylo. With the rise of AI, companies are only going to be adding more applications to their tech stack moving forward.
Hire2Retire’s onboarding automation is built to scale with your organization, offering unlimited SCIM integrations to automate user provisioning, no matter how many applications your organization uses.

Common Challenges with SCIM User Provisioning (and How Hire2Retire Solves Them)

SCIM user provisioning still requires careful planning and data mapping. Provisioning issues can happen because of:
Attribute mismatches
Poorly defined employee roles
Complex integration networks
Hire2Retire makes data mapping and workflow creation easy and accessible through a drag-and-drop interface that requires absolutely no coding or scripting.

Automate IT Onboarding with Hire2Retire’s SCIM Integration Library

Thanks to a built-in library of over 200 integrations for SCIM user provisioning, Hire2Retire can fully automate IT onboarding across your entire tech stack. That means your company can:
Make onboarding faster and smoother
Reduce tedious IT work and avoid IGA costs
Boost data security and compliance
Keep access control consistent at scale
Instead of wasting time and IT effort trying to manually keep up with identity management, book a free discovery call with a Hire2Retire expert to see what IT onboarding automation looks like with your HRIS and IdP!
Book a Free Discovery Call Now!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

SCIM user provisioning is the process of automatically creating, updating, and removing user accounts across applications using the SCIM standard.

SCIM enables onboarding automation by instantly granting new employees access to the apps they need, reducing manual IT work and improving productivity.

Key benefits include faster onboarding, secure offboarding, consistent role-based access, and reduced IT ticket volume.

Unlike manual onboarding, which requires IT to create accounts one by one, SCIM user provisioning automates the process and eliminates human error.

Many leading SaaS apps such as Slack, Salesforce, Zoom, and Office 365 support SCIM, making onboarding automation seamless across your software stack.

Picture of <strong>Cameron Macaulay</strong>

Cameron Macaulay

Cameron Macaulay is a Marketing Associate with RoboMQ. Cameron graduated from Syracuse University with a major in Broadcast & Digital Journalism, and a minor in Professional & Technical Writing. Cameron combines his skills in technical writing with a passion for storytelling.

Picture of <strong>Cameron Macaulay</strong>

Cameron Macaulay

Cameron Macaulay is a Marketing Associate with RoboMQ. Cameron graduated from Syracuse University with a major in Broadcast & Digital Journalism, and a minor in Professional & Technical Writing. Cameron combines his skills in technical writing with a passion for storytelling.

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