Who do we call to set up a new employee's computer?

Send us the name, start date, what access they need, and who they are similar to. "Same as Dave" is the fastest possible description of a permission set and we mean that seriously.

What we set up: their account and mailbox, group membership and file access, multi factor authentication, the machine itself with your standard software, printers, shared drives, Outlook including any shared mailboxes, and phone setup if they need mail on a mobile.

The bottleneck is hardware. If they need a new machine and we do not have one on hand, that is ordering and configuration time, so a week of notice helps considerably. For clients who hire in groups or seasonally, we keep spares staged.

Two things worth building into your own process. Tell us at the same time you tell payroll, because that is the step nobody forgets. And tell us the leaving date at the same time for anyone temporary or seasonal, so access ends automatically rather than being remembered.

New user setup is covered by your agreement. Some providers bill per setup, which adds up quickly if you hire often, so it is worth asking anyone you are comparing.