Return On Investment (ROI) for UMRA
This page provides an overview of the aspects where User Management Resource Administrator (UMRA) can yield cost efficiencies. It also offers a yardstick for defining an ROI for purchasing UMRA. On request, Tools4ever can furnish further information based upon statistical experience data. Tools4ever can also provide specific ROI templates (Word and Excel) so you can start defining the ROI for your organization. The objective is to determine whether implementing an Identity Management solution will contribute positively to your organization’s bottom line. Read more on experiences and ROI of our customers.
Direct cost savings through UMRA implementation
This cost savings category is easy to map and yields near-term benefits for your organization. The cost savings are connected directly to the introduction of UMRA and will be visible immediately after implementation. Statistical data from the helpdesk system can be used as input for calculating the actual cost savings (number of calls, call length, number of agents involved etc.). An indication is given for each type of cost saving. This indication is based on experience data and on feedback from Tools4ever’s customers. Please note that some types of cost saving will not always receive a full weight. Some organizations will derive more benefit than others from a particular category.
- Fewer IT staff
Implementing UMRA will drastically reduce the user account management burden. On average, it takes 20 minutes to create a user account. With UMRA, this is possible in just two to three minutes. And in some cases, changes occur entirely automatically. The same applies to modifying accounts, unlocking or resetting passwords, modifying group memberships (application/security), removing accounts etc.
Average cost saving: 1 full-time helpdesk agent per 4,000 employees. - Quicker service
Implementing UMRA will reduce the lead time involved in user account requests up to and including actual modification of the user account. UMRA fully optimizes modifications communication up to the actual implementation of the user account changes. The Self-Service and Workflow Management features of UMRA also offer managers and end-users the ability to submit requests through a web form. Thus requests can be implemented with full automation or processed further by the helpdesk. In the latter case, the helpdesk will always receive standardized and approved requests. This will allow it to implement changes more quickly and independently, and without errors. Organizations also grossly underestimate the time required to undo system administration errors and their consequences.
Average cost saving: $18 a year per employee through increased productivity. - Less specialized staff
Using UMRA’s simple and secure interface does not require highly-qualified staff from a systems administration point of view, to perform user account management tasks. UMRA drastically simplifies previously complex actions such as creating or moving accounts, renaming accounts because of a change in marital status or modifying the rights structure. Consequently, these tasks can be performed by employees who do not have significant IT knowledge.
Average cost saving: ½ full-time senior systems administrator per 4,000 employees - Reduced licensing costs
Employees commonly have more applications at their disposal than they actually use. This means the organization incurs more licensing costs than required. The errors that occur with assigned licenses happen for a number of reasons: employees may request applications that they never return, new employees are assigned applications on the basis of profiles of their colleagues (copy user) and managers do not have a proper overview of the licenses that have actually been assigned to their employees etc. UMRA allows organizations to streamline license management and only assign applications that are actually required.
Average cost saving: a 10% reduction in licensing costs. - Savings through ex-employee resources
It is common for company networks to be polluted with inactive user accounts by 3% to 10%. This will happen if no consistent termination procedure is in place when employees leave (employees on the payroll, freelancers, agency workers, interim managers etc.). If their user accounts are left in the network, the storage costs (home directory, mailbox data) and license costs simply remain in tact. Besides an unnecessary use of resources, inactive user accounts also involve security risks (indirect savings). By linking employment contract information from the HRM system with the user accounts across the network, such cost savings can be easily realized.
Average cost saving: 3% reduction in storage, backup and license costs.
Indirect savings from applying UMRA
The indirect savings associated with implementing UMRA will not be immediately visible. It is also more difficult to translate these into concrete financial data. Usually the damage will not be visible until an incident occurs. However, the financial losses associated with easily preventable incidents can be enormous.
- Improved distribution of Admin privileges
Without a tool like UMRA, any employee involved in user account management will need a relatively large number of network privileges. These privileges will allow helpdesk agents to view and modify virtually anything in the network. for example viewing the CEO’s mailbox or salary information of their colleagues. Implementing UMRA will minimize the necessity for these privileges, and thus minimize the number of incidents. With UMRA, helpdesk agents will only be able to perform the required user account management tasks, and nothing else. - Auditing and Logging
UMRA offers comprehensive auditing and logging features allowing users to log and view all network activities. This makes it feasible to determine exactly who performed which network action, and when. This simplifies IT forensic studies into the cause of incidents. Steering information is also available for streamlining helpdesk activities. Most importantly, UMRA allows organizations to comply with various regulations, including NEN7511, HZ, SOX and HIPAA. - A more professional appearance of the IT department
Using UMRA, helpdesk requests can be handled quicker and error free. This will result in increased service levels and provide the IT department a more professional appearance in the eyes of end users. - Active Directory becomes increasingly highlighted, e.g. for Sharepoint
A general IT trend is using Active Directory as a central administration system for the authentication and authorization of network systems and applications. In many cases, information is exchanged through an LDAP link. Commonly used links are connections with the helpdesk system (TOPdesk), Facility Management system (Planon), PBX or Intranet. Sharepoint is one example that is rapidly gaining ground in this framework. Organizations aim to simplify information exchange for their employees and increasingly turn to Sharepoint for this purpose. One of the sub-projects associated with an implementation of Sharepoint is organizing authorization (who has access to what). As a result of the dependence on Active Directory, the management burden placed on Active Directory increase often requiring a link with an HRM system.