Automated access management instead of historically grown structures at Jörg Vogelsang GmbH & Co KG
The cooperation between Mecanindus and the family business Jörg Vogelsang began in 1999 with the first joint factory in the Czech Republic. The Mecanindus-Vogelsang Group was founded in 2003, when Mecanindus acquired the shares in the German company. The group of companies now produces fasteners and fixing elements for more than 1,000 international customers at six locations in Europe, China and the USA.
Complex manual access management as an interim solution
At the beginning, Jörg Vogelsang GmbH & Co KG did not have any defined processes for access management. As part of an audit, the question of IT approvals arose, which had to be painstakingly searched for individually, so Andreas Wittmers, System Administrator Data Center / IT, then worked with his colleague to develop a manual process for assigning and documenting access rights. This mainly consisted of an approval form, which was completed by the file sponsor and IT as part of the application, then filed by IT in a file folder and transferred to an Excel spreadsheet by form number. This ensured traceability at all times and accelerated the search for the corresponding authorization assignments. The folder sponsors were the department managers who know which access rights should be assigned to which employees in their area. Once the employees had completed and submitted the form, however, it was not uncommon for quite some time to pass before the approval was granted. Sometimes the employees sent the form to IT first instead of to the folder sponsors, so that the latter’s approval was missing. It also happened that the forms disappeared during the approval process or were left with the folder sponsors or IT due to other higher-priority issues, meaning that employees sometimes had to wait up to two weeks for authorization approvals. The process was lengthy, cumbersome, rigid and annoying.
Finding the right software solution by chance
Andreas Wittmers came across the software solution of the Darmstadt-based software manufacturer BAYOOSOFT GmbH, which has been active since 2001, by chance during an Internet search. A Windows Pro article about automated access management, in which the BAYOOSOFT Access Manager was mentioned, caught his attention. There was no project and no targeted search for a suitable software solution. However, the Darmstadt tool replicated their manual process one-to-one, so it quickly became clear that it needed to be scrutinized more closely. No sooner said than done, the evaluation began. A quick look outside the box proved to be of little help, as other tools did not exactly map the process we had designed ourselves or contained far too many features that are not relevant in day-to-day work.
After a product presentation and an accompanied test installation, Jörg Vogelsang GmbH & Co. KG purchased the software solution from Darmstadt. During the test, the Access Manager features were also reviewed by the data protection officer. The review of the product was positive and approval for procurement was granted promptly. “The BAYOOSOFT Access Manager mapped our process perfectly in its web workflow, I was amazed,” recalls Andreas Wittmers. This has not only improved the authorization assignment workflow, but also the transparency and traceability of assigned access rights.
Commissioning the BAYOOSOFT Access Manager
The introduction of the BAYOOSOFT Access Manager went quickly. Both IT and management saw the potential of the Darmstadt software solution, so the approval process for the required budget was shortened. The digitization of their specially designed manual process should take place immediately, so that IT is relieved of the burden of access management in a timely manner. Jörg Vogelsang GmbH & Co KG also booked the Go Live package, which involved a solution engineer from BAYOOOSOFT GmbH assisting the IT department. The productive system was set up on the previous test system and expanded within the company. “The collaboration with BAYOOSOFT Support was perfect. The installation went extremely smoothly, there was always best practice advice to make it easier to get started, and appointments could be arranged and implemented promptly with the primary contact person,” says Andreas Wittmers, praising the collaboration.
As part of the introduction, the data managers were gradually informed by IT about the functions of their role in the Access Manager during a 1:1 training session. For employees, i.e. end users, there were brief instructions on the intranet on how to apply for access rights. Integration into everyday working life was very quick thanks to the intuitive handling, and everyone involved gets on very well with the software solution.
Everyday work with the BAYOOSOFT Access Manager
The central self-service portal component integrates end users and data controllers, i.e. the folder sponsors, directly into the access management process so that authorization requests are processed and documented without the need for IT. “The BAYOOSOFT Access Manager is a great self-runner, it takes a huge amount of work off our hands in IT so that we can concentrate on other issues,” reports Andreas Wittmers. The software is not only used for classic file server management, but also for so-called third party management, the organization of memberships in existing AD security groups. This allows, for example access for VPN connections, which are increasingly needed in times of Covid-19 home office, can be managed. “In times of Covid-19, the Access Manager helped us enormously when setting up the home office. The employees were able to apply for access themselves and only needed support in setting up the VPN connection,” reports Andreas Wittmers.
Conclusion
The advantages for Jörg Vogelsang GmbH & Co KG of using the BAYOOSOFT Access Manager are as follows:
In summary, it can be said that the use of BAYOOSOFT Access Manager relieves the IT department enormously in its day-to-day work. Audit-proof documentation is guaranteed at all times without IT intervention, the software solution runs error-free and includes all the features that IT wanted in this area. “The BAYOOSOFT Access Manager runs out of the box, makes everything verifiable and auditable, has a very good cost-benefit ratio and is a great tool for addressing the issues of file permissions, data protection and data security in one fell swoop,” praises Andreas Wittmers. “I would definitely recommend the Access Manager at any time.”
