Who’s still got the keys?

An employee leaves your business on a Friday. Lovely send off, a card, a few drinks. They hand back their door key & their fob. Everyone waves them off.

Now the awkward question. Is their access actually gone by Monday, or just their desk?

For a lot of small businesses, the answer is no because there is no employee exit security checklist. The person has gone, but their logins have not. Old email, old passwords, a way into your systems, still sat there long after the leaving card was signed. The digital keys never got handed back, because nobody thought to remove employee system access.

While we are on keys, there is another one that keeps me up at night. Who holds access to the admin accounts, the keys to absolutely everything? On far too many setups the honest answer is a shrug, or “the last IT lot had them”. If it lives in one person’s head, it does not really live anywhere.

This is not about being paranoid. It is about knowing where your keys are, the same way you know where your front door key is. You would spot a member of staff walking out still holding that. You just cannot see the digital ones, so they walk out all the time.

So, two fair questions. When someone left you last, did their access leave with them? Do you know, today, who holds the keys to everything?

If you are not sure, you are in very normal company. It is very fixable. I am always happy to give a straight, plain English second opinion. No jargon, no drama.

Jacqui

J & J Systems, Canterbury

Contact JJ Systems | IT Support & Managed Services in Kent

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