Digital footprints are ubiquitous in today's workplace. Once an employee begins working, they create their digital footprint by being provided with a company email address and login credentials for their application. You may even be able to update their LinkedIn page through this method.

When an employee departs the company, there is a process that must be followed: decoupling the employee from all technological assets of the business. This step is essential for cybersecurity purposes.

It is never a wise practice for a former employee or contractor to send malicious emails via their work email address to all of your customers. The computer of such an individual could contain sensitive files that were left behind by the staffer, potentially leading to a security breach months later.

20% of companies surveyed have experienced data breaches involving former employees.

Digital offboarding involves the removal of access to company data and other resources

To reduce risks, this is a necessary process that every former employee must go through.

Below, we've included a checklist to help you stay organized.

Your digital offboarding checklist

Knowledge Transfer

When someone leaves an organisation, much corporate knowledge can be lost. To prevent this from happening, digital offboarding should capture this data and store it securely for future reference.

It could be as straightforward as someone posting company info on social media. Or it could also be productivity leveraging; this is the most efficient way to import sales data into your CRM system.

At the conclusion of an exit interview, ensure you conduct a knowledge-sharing session with employees. Even better, ensure all staff members regularly document their processes and workflows so that if an employee is unable to perform certain tasks, this information can easily be retrieved.

Be sure to address any social media connections the company may have with the former employee

Does their Facebook account make them an administrator for your company's Facebook Page? Can they post on LinkedIn? These questions and more should be discussed during this phase.

Identification of All Apps and Loggings Used for Work

Your HR or IT department should have a record of all logins and applications your employees use at work. Unfortunately, many employees use unapproved cloud applications without realizing the security implications this poses. This should be done as quickly as possible to minimize employee exposure to potential threats.

It is essential that you become aware of any apps your employee might have used for business operations. If it is still necessary, either modify their login information or completely close them after exporting company data.

Change Your Email Password

It is recommended that you change the email password of each employee as soon as possible. Doing so prevents former employees from accessing company information and emailing as a representative for the company.

Accounts should not be immediately closed, as emails must remain. However, you must change the password to ensure that no access is granted to an employee.

Cloud Business Apps: Change Passwords of Employees

It is essential that all other passwords be changed. Keep in mind that many people access business apps from personal devices, so they can still log on to their old accounts even if they can't access their computer at work.

No matter which device they use, changing passwords will lock them out. A single sign-on solution can make this easier.

Recover All Company Devices

It is your responsibility to guarantee that any company-owned equipment is recovered from an employee's residence. Oftentimes, this equipment may have been given away to remote workers.

It is essential to take immediate steps in order to prevent loss of equipment. Once employees have left a company, they can either donate, discard, or trash the items they no longer require.

Recover Data From Employees' Personal Devices

Many companies have adopted a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, which can save money but make offboarding employees more challenging.

It is essential that all company data is securely captured on these devices. Now is the time to establish a backup policy if you don't already have one in place.

Transfer Data Ownership & Close Employee Accounts

It is important to not leave employee cloud accounts open indefinitely. Select a user account where you would like the transfer of your data, then close it. Hackers may attempt to breach unprotected employee accounts if no one is monitoring them; an attacker could gain unauthorized access to your account for months on end without you even knowing.

Restrict Employee Access to Your Apps and Network

With endpoint device management software, you can quickly and easily restrict employee access to devices. Simply remove their device from your approved list to complete this task.

Modifying Your Building's Digital Passcodes

Physical access to your building is essential. Make sure any digital gates or door passcodes you have are changed so someone else cannot gain entry.

Do you need help mitigating the security risk of offboarding?

Digital offboarding can be much smoother and safer if addressed early. Request a complimentary consultation now to improve your cybersecurity.