Streamlining User Access Management: A Custom Solution for a Leading Dairy Producer

The Challenge

In the fast-paced world of dairy production, where supply chains span multiple facilities and teams collaborate across systems, efficient user access management is crucial. Our client, a prominent UK-based dairy producer, faced significant hurdles in managing employee access to critical business systems. With a growing workforce and reliance on enterprise tools like SAP for financial and operational roles, the IT team struggled with manual, error-prone processes for granting, modifying, or revoking user permissions.

Key pain points included:

• Delayed Onboarding and Changes: Requests for SAP role access often took days or weeks due to manual approvals and coordination between IT, managers, and HR.
• Security Risks: Lack of automated workflows increased the chance of over-provisioning access, potentially exposing sensitive data.
• Integration Gaps: The existing setup didn't seamlessly connect with their Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) for identity management, leading to siloed systems and compliance challenges.
• Scalability Issues: As the company expanded, the ad-hoc email and spreadsheet-based request system became unsustainable.

The goal was clear: Develop a secure, intuitive tool to automate user access requests, ensure proper approvals, and integrate directly with their core systems—all while minimizing disruption to daily operations.

Our Solution: Custom Access Request Management Tool

At Inmotion IT, we specialize in bespoke cloud-native solutions that drive efficiency and security. For this project, we leveraged our expertise in Microsoft Azure to build a lightweight, fully integrated access request management platform tailored to the client's needs.

The tool bridges the gap between identity and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems by:

• Seamless Integrations: Directly linking to Azure AD for user authentication and identity verification, and to SAP for role-based access provisioning via secure private connections to ensure data isolation and compliance.
• Intuitive Request Workflow: IT administrators or end-users submit requests for specific SAP roles via a simple web interface.
• Automated Approvals: Upon submission, the tool generates a secure email notification to the relevant manager, including all necessary details for quick review and approval (or rejection).
• Dynamic Role Management: Post-approval, the tool automatically executes add, change, or remove actions on SAP roles, with full audit trails for compliance.
• User-Centric Design: Built as a responsive static web app, it ensures accessibility from any device, reducing training time.

This solution not only automates routine tasks but also enforces least-privilege access principles, aligning with industry standards like GDPR and ISO 27001.

Implementation: A Collaborative Azure-Powered Build

We adopted an agile approach to delivery, completing the project in just eight weeks to align with the client's fiscal quarter timeline. The technical stack was chosen for its scalability, cost-effectiveness, and alignment with the client's Azure ecosystem:

Collaboration was key: We conducted workshops with the client's IT and operations teams to map workflows, prototype the UI, and test integrations in a staging environment mirroring their production SAP instance. Security reviews, including penetration testing, ensured robustness from day one.

The rollout was phased—starting with a pilot for the finance team—followed by full deployment with minimal downtime. Post-launch, we provided comprehensive training sessions and ongoing support via our managed services.

Results and Benefits

The impact of the custom tool has been transformative, delivering measurable ROI within the first quarter:

• Time Savings: Access requests now process in under 24 hours (down from 5-7 days), freeing IT staff for strategic initiatives.
• Enhanced Security: Automated audits reduced unauthorized access incidents by 90%, with built-in compliance reporting simplifying regulatory audits.
• Cost Efficiency: Leveraging serverless Azure Functions eliminated infrastructure overhead, cutting operational costs by 40% compared to legacy tools.
• User Satisfaction: Manager approval rates hit 95%, with feedback highlighting the tool's simplicity—"It's like requesting a holiday, but for system access."

Partnering for Future Growth

This project exemplifies Inmotion IT's commitment to delivering innovative, Azure-centric solutions that empower businesses to thrive. By anonymizing sensitive details, we've focused on the universal value of the solution—proving that even in regulated industries like dairy production, streamlined access management can unlock agility and peace of mind.

Ready to automate your user access workflows? Contact us at Inmotion IT to explore how a custom tool like this can transform your operations.

Case study based on a real client engagement; client details anonymized for confidentiality.