Unifying Identity and Asset Management at The Warehouse Group
Reducing costs and improving service delivery with integrated workforce lifecycle automation.
Overview
The Warehouse Group (TWG), one of New Zealand’s largest retail organisations, faced challenges implementing effective automation for identity and asset management through their existing ITSM provider. Inconsistent support, high development costs and a poor user experience highlighted the need for a more efficient solution. TWG made the strategic decision to expand its use of Activate for all identity and lifecycle processes, leveraging its deep integration with existing systems. By combining Activate with Jira Service Management (JSM) for incident and change management, TWG transformed its service delivery while reducing operational costs.
The Challenge
TWG encountered several issues with its incumbent ITSM solution:
- Limited automation: Repeated efforts to implement User Lifecycle and Asset Management automation were unsuccessful, driving up internal development costs
- Offshore support challenges: Support from the vendor was slow and inconsistent, impacting response times and project delivery
- Unexpected costs: Unplanned maintenance and platform limitations resulted in ongoing budget overruns
- Inefficiencies and poor user experience: Manual workarounds, fragmented tools and limited integration created operational delays and user frustration.
The Solution
TWG made a strategic decision to maximise its investment in Activate for identity and user lifecycle management, while utilising Jira Service Management (JSM) for handling incidents and change requests. Key elements of the solution included:
- Activate as the core workforce lifecycle engine: Responsible for all provisioning, de-provisioning and role-based access across the organisation
- Integration with PayGlobal and other key systems: Enabled seamless automation across HR and IT functions
- Unified access provisioning: Delivered consistent, automated access to services and assets based on user roles and organisational structure
- Complementary use of JSM: Focused on incident and change management while Activate handled complex service request workflows
- Tight integration with Microsoft 365 and Active Directory: Supported future improvements to security, audit and governance capabilities.
104,000+
Provisioning requests processed annually.
11,700+
Workforce Identities under Management.
22,718hrs
Support Hours Saved Annually.
"Activate's tight integration with our systems and its robust automation capabilities have streamlined processes and significantly reduced costs" - Glenn Elley, The Warehouse Group
The Result
TWG now processes over 104,000 provisioning requests annually for more than 11,700 users through Activate, significantly improving automation, accuracy and overall service delivery. The shift has reduced operational costs and complexity, while laying the foundation for improved audit, governance and security management through enhanced integrations.
Key Outcomes:
- Improved automation and reduced manual handling
- Better service delivery across the organisation
- Reduced license and development costs
- Scalable framework ready for future compliance enhancements
- Stronger integration with Microsoft 365 and Active Directory to support future security initiatives.