IT Onboarding: Beyond the Myths, a Complex and Demanding Reality
Published on Feb 9, 2026
7 minutes
Discover the three challenges of IT onboarding and how to streamline your logistics.
Have you ever started a new job, ready to tackle your challenges, only to realize you’re missing the essentials you need to do your work? You’re not alone. According to a study by Vlerick Business School, 57% of employees don’t have all the necessary tools and access when they start. Digital onboarding—often overlooked by HRIS tools—is, however, the cornerstone of performance.
As the war for talent rages on, companies are pulling out all the stops to attract top talent. YetIT onboarding is all too often the neglected step in the onboarding process.
The consequences of a chaotic process are disastrous, both for productivity and for the employer brand:
- Sales reps without a CRM: unable to complete internal training or follow up on leads.
- No network access: inability to view the department's strategic documents.
- Emails and communication channels: active email account, but no essential distribution lists or Slack/Teams channels.
- Shadow IT and personal devices: the use of personal resources out of necessity, creating major security vulnerabilities.
According to Deloitte, 82% of companies do not feel prepared on the day a new employee joins the team. Why does this situation persist, even with an HRIS solution in place?
1. First challenge: fragmented resource management within the company
The first obstacle to a smooth IT onboarding process is the fragmentation of enterprise asset management. IT no longer holds all the keys:
- The IT Department: manages the IT infrastructure, Active Directory, and network access.
- Finance: often manages accounting and expense report software.
- Sales & Marketing: directly manage the CRM (Salesforce), LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and marketing automation tools.
- General Services: handles physical access badges, parking spaces, and the vehicle fleet.
This decentralization turns employee logistics management into a real headache, with information flowing poorly.
2. Second challenge: tailoring resources to individual profiles
Effective IT onboarding isn't a one-size-fits-all process. In addition to the standard set of tools (email, Teams, laptop), each employee should receive hardware and software resources tailored to their specific role:
- Developers: specialized keyboard, dual screens, GitHub/GitLab access, Docker, SSH server access.
- Sales representatives: smartphone, CRM, Sales Nav license, company car, expense report software.
- Marketing: Adobe Creative Cloud suite, Facebook Business Manager, access to market intelligence solutions.
Without a clear profile matrix, IT is flying by the seat of its pants and creating a host of time-consuming tasks to adjust access rights after the fact.
3. Third challenge: complex coordination between HR, managers, and IT
To get a complete picture of a newcomer’s needs, three key players must work together seamlessly:
- HR: handles the formalities of onboarding (contracts, administrative tasks) but does not always have the technical details.
- The manager is the only one who knows exactly what tools their employee will need to succeed.
- Those responsible for resources— whether internal (CIOs) or external (SaaS providers)—must receive the information early enough to plan ahead.
The lack of a tool to centralize these workflows forces teams to rely on emails, Teams messages, or casual conversations at the coffee machine, increasing the risk of oversights and provisioning errors.
4. Pyla: The solution for streamlining your partner logistics
To address these challenges, it is essential to use IT onboarding software that bridges the gap between HRIS and technical implementation.
Pyla is a B2B platform designed to coordinate all stakeholders. By integrating with your HRIS, Pyla enables you to:
- Centralize requests for employee equipment andsoftware access.
- Automate notifications to the various administrators (IT, Finance, General Services).
- Manage employee transitions 360°: IT onboarding, offboarding, and employee mobility management.
Don't let the illusion of a process you have under control hold back your growth any longer. Streamlining your IT infrastructure is a worthwhile investment in your productivity and security.
E-book: The 4 IT Challenges of Onboarding.
Why does IT onboarding play a key role in the employee experience? What steps can be taken to make it more effective?
Related questions
Why isn't an HRIS sufficient for managing IT onboarding?
The HRIS is designed for administrative and contractual management. It lacks the necessary granularity to manage the 20+ technical hardware and software resources and cannot coordinate decentralized business administrators.
What is the risk of letting a manager manage their own software access?
The risk is twofold: financial (unused or duplicate licenses) and security-related (shadow IT). Without oversight from the IT department via IT onboarding software, the company loses control over its data and expenses.
How does IT onboarding affect talent retention?
Successful onboarding increases retention by 58%. Conversely, an employee who isn’t provided with the necessary tools on their first day feels undervalued, which seriously damages your employer brand right from the trial period.
Can we automate the onboarding process for external service providers?
Yes. Although managed outside the HRIS, contractors can be integrated into Pyla to benefit from the same level of logistical rigor and security as internal employees.
