Driving Cost Savings and Scalability with Identity Automation for a European Retail Leader

By leveraging automation, we were able to dramatically improve performance without introducing new technology. The client now enjoys a streamlined, scalable, and governance-aligned identity ecosystem that is faster, more cost-effective, and aligned with business growth.

How it started

A major European retail company with 10,000 employees and 22,000 digital identities was relying on a manual, ticket-based system managed by a third-party vendor for identity lifecycle tasks. The model was financially inefficient and operationally unscalable. The third-party’s compensation model, based on per-ticket fees, created a disincentive to automate, leaving the client with high costs, sluggish provisioning processes, and increasing user dissatisfaction.

Onaware was brought in to evaluate and address the issue based on our reputation for delivering value for money and project recovery. Our expert team conducted a strategic assessment of the client’s most critical applications and uncovered key gaps in the existing vendor’s automation capability and commitment. Rather than introducing new technologies, we designed and delivered a 95% automated identity lifecycle solution using the client’s existing identity governance system and ServiceNow ticketing platform. The solution eliminated the majority of manual tickets, boosted speed by 80%, and dramatically improved user satisfaction.

Encouraged by the rapid return on investment and operational improvements, the client expanded the solution across all 320 applications in scope – transforming identity management into a highly efficient, scalable, and sustainable enterprise capability.

The Results

The implementation of the automated identity lifecycle solution had a transformative effect across the organisation. By automating 95% of identity processes, the client was able to drastically reduce the volume of manual tickets that previously clogged their IT support function. This change alone delivered substantial and recurring cost savings, as charges associated with third-party ticket processing nearly disappeared.

Speed of execution was another major win—identity provisioning tasks that once took hours or even days were now completed within minutes. This 80% improvement in speed not only boosted operational efficiency but also enabled new hires and internal movers to access the tools and systems they needed faster than ever before. The knock-on effect of this improvement was a measurable rise in employee satisfaction across business units.

Moreover, the automation ensured greater consistency and compliance. With manual processes replaced by rule-driven automation, errors were minimised, and governance standards were uniformly enforced across all identity transactions. This new consistency instilled a higher degree of confidence among internal stakeholders, from IT operations to compliance and HR teams.

Perhaps most importantly, the solution delivered a rapid and compelling return on investment. The client recognised early wins within weeks of go-live and achieved full ROI in a short timeframe. This clear value proposition paved the way for broader adoption, as the client expanded the automation solution from an initial 60 applications to cover all 320 in their environment.

Third-Party Proposal vs. Onaware Delivery

	Third-Party Proposal	Onaware Solution
Ticket Reduction	25.45% (1,732 tickets/month)	~95% (6,465 tickets/month)
Applications Scoped In	31 low-volume apps	60 initially, expanded to 320
Implementation Approach	Phased, low-impact	Full deployment in 4 months (60 apps)
Speed Improvement	Not specified	80% faster provisioning
ROI	Unclear	Realised within weeks

The Full Story

Client Overview

A leading European retail organisation with over 10,000 employees and approximately 22,000 digital identities faced mounting operational and financial pressures in their IT support and identity management functions. With operations spanning multiple regions and a broad portfolio of retail brands, the client’s digital landscape was vast and complex. The organisation relied heavily on a third-party vendor to manage service tickets for identity-related requests and incidents. This support model, while well-established, was heavily reliant on manual processes and incurred charges for each ticket handled, making it increasingly unsustainable.

The Challenge

The outsourced service ticket model had become a financial and operational bottleneck. The third-party vendor, whose revenue depended on volume-based billing, had little incentive to implement effective automation. Despite the client’s directive to explore efficiencies, the vendor’s automation proposal included only modest reductions in ticket volume over three proposed phases:

Phase 1: 7% reduction (477 tickets per month)
Phase 2: 13% reduction (864 tickets per month)
Phase 3: 6% reduction (391 tickets per month)

This equated to a total monthly reduction of just 25.45% from a baseline of 6,806 tickets. To achieve this, the vendor suggested descoping 29 of the 60 applications entirely. Of the remaining 31 applications:

17 generated less than 1% of total ticket volume each
The remaining 14 contributed fewer than 20 tickets per app per month

This revealed a clear avoidance of high-volume, high-impact areas and a lack of serious commitment to meaningful automation. The client recognised this as a superficial proposal that failed to address their operational needs and scalability goals.

Our Approach

Onaware was engaged to deliver an objective, in-depth analysis of the situation and design a pragmatic path forward. Our engagement began with a thorough assessment of the 60 most critical business applications. This review extended beyond technology to include the third-party’s proposed automation plans, operational workflows, and strategic alignment with the client’s objectives.

We uncovered a significant gap in both the vendor’s technical understanding and their willingness to invest in meaningful change. Rather than pushing for new technology, Onaware focused on unlocking the latent value in the client’s existing infrastructure.

Our team of architects and engineers collaborated closely with internal stakeholders to design a robust, future-ready automation solution. The approach emphasised practical innovation: maximising the capabilities of the existing identity governance platform and integrating it seamlessly with ServiceNow for full lifecycle process automation.

The Solution

We delivered a 95% automated solution that transformed all major identity lifecycle processes, including joiners, movers, leavers, and entitlements management. The implementation was completed in a single, four-month phase – demonstrating our commitment to speed, precision, and minimal disruption using a small team of expert resources.

There was nothing radically different about our solution as it was based on experience and best-practice. The automation logic was designed to trigger identity workflows based on standard Identity Lifecycle events such as a new hire (Joiner), a role change (Mover), or an employee exit (Leaver). These workflows were orchestrated using the client’s existing identity governance platform with direct provisioning to the target applications wherever possible. However all provisioning actions were reported to ServiceNow so that there was no disruption to other operational processes and metrics.

The solution also included improved synchronisation of identity data between core HR systems, Active Directory, and target applications. This provided full transparency across the identity lifecycle and reduced delays caused by inconsistent or outdated information.

Crucially, we also incorporated detailed audit logging and reporting capabilities into the automation framework. These tools enabled compliance teams to track provisioning activities, verify approvals, and produce evidence for internal audits and regulatory reviews with ease.

Overall, the solution established a scalable and governance-aligned automation layer capable of supporting future business growth and IT modernisation initiatives.

Cost savings and other impacts

The automation initiative delivered immediate and measurable results. Manual ticket processing costs were drastically reduced, creating a direct and recurring financial benefit. Processing speeds improved by 80%, significantly accelerating user onboarding and access provisioning. This in turn elevated employee satisfaction to levels the client had not previously experienced. Moreover, the automation improved accuracy and compliance by removing human error and enforcing policy-driven workflows.

The return on investment was both rapid and substantial, validating the decision to reimagine the identity function. Internal stakeholders gained new confidence in IT’s ability to deliver strategic value, and the organisation gained a more agile and efficient foundation for future digital transformation initiatives.

Looking Ahead

Buoyed by the success of the initial rollout, the client made the strategic decision to expand automation across their entire application estate. The scope grew from the original 60 applications to all 320 in scope – transforming identity lifecycle management into a fully automated, enterprise-wide capability.

This expansion marked a significant milestone in the client’s digital journey, setting the stage for broader initiatives in governance, analytics, and user experience. The success of the project also served as a catalyst for re-evaluating other third-party contracts, with a renewed focus on accountability, automation, and value creation.

“Onaware moved faster than we thought possible – what our previous partner planned for in years, they delivered in months.” CISO