MBIE manages identity and access across a diverse and constantly changing workforce. Prior to engaging Activate, identity lifecycle management was heavily manual and fragmented across systems.

Key challenges included:

• Manual provisioning and de-provisioning processes that were time-consuming and error-prone
• Limited visibility into access changes across the identity lifecycle
• Increased operational risk due to delays in removing access for leavers
• A growing service desk burden caused by identity-related requests
• Difficulty enforcing consistent access policies at scale

As workforce complexity increased, MBIE needed a more automated, reliable, and auditable approach to identity lifecycle management.

MBIE partnered with Activate, working alongside Datacom, to implement an automated identity lifecycle management solution using Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM).

The solution was designed to:

• Automate joiner, mover, and leaver processes
• Enforce consistent identity governance policies
• Improve visibility and auditability of access changes
• Reduce manual effort and service desk dependency

Activate provided:

• Identity lifecycle design aligned to MBIE’s operational and security requirements
• Implementation and integration of MIM with core systems
• Ongoing expertise to ensure the solution was scalable and supportable

Implementation approach

The project focused on practical automation with minimal disruption:

• Identity processes were mapped end-to-end to identify automation opportunities
• Existing manual workflows were replaced with policy-driven provisioning
• Access changes were standardised and logged to improve audit readiness
• Close collaboration ensured the solution aligned with MBIE’s internal teams and long-term roadmap

This approach allowed MBIE to modernise identity management while maintaining operational continuity.

Following implementation, MBIE achieved measurable improvements across operational efficiency, access risk reduction, and identity lifecycle consistency.

Key outcomes included:

• Manual identity provisioning and management effort reduced by approximately 50%, significantly lowering reliance on manual processes
• Average joiner and role-change provisioning time reduced from several days to hours, improving workforce productivity
• Leaver access removal accelerated from days to hours, reducing the risk of inappropriate or orphaned access
• Identity-related service desk tickets reduced by 30–45% through automated, policy-driven workflows
• Policy-based identity lifecycle automation extended to 90%+ of workforce identities, improving consistency and scalability
• Improved visibility and auditability of identity changes across core systems, strengthening security and compliance posture

By automating identity lifecycle management, MBIE:

• Reduced operational overhead for IT and support teams
• Strengthened security and compliance posture
• Gained confidence that access reflects current roles and employment status
• Created a scalable foundation to support future growth and change

If your organisation is experiencing:

• Manual IAM processes that don’t scale
• High service desk load from access requests
• Delays or risk in joiner/mover/leaver workflows
• Limited visibility into who has access to what

This case study demonstrates how structured IAM automation can deliver both operational efficiency and risk reduction.

‍