Note: There have been some changes made to the Access Request form since this documentation was created. The hope is the changes to the form make it more intuitive, perhaps even rendering this article unnecessary! Until the screenshots and instructions are updated, I at least want to place this notice here.


The first thing any employee needs is to get a network account (AKA: computer login) and an email address. Using the Access Request Form, we start by requesting that email address:

 

  1. Click Get New Email and enter the employee’s name, department, title, manager, start date, and comments. I am using Information Technology as the department for this example, and I will of course be the new employee’s manager, much to their dismay. Always try to submit this email request as soon as you know anything. If the start date is tentative, that’s perfectly fine. 
     

  2. Look to the right side of the screen, reading and confirming the info. Then click Submit in the bottom-right corner.

     

     You’ve done your part here on Step 2. On the IT side, we will receive a ticket as shown below, and then we create the user’s network account in Active Directory + their email in Microsoft 365. Those are two different but connected systems that require some time to sync up with each other, so there are gaps of time between creating their AD account, assigning a 365 license, and the user eventually having a functional email address.


  3. Back at the form, you now click the button for Enter Request (“Enter a request for a new or existing user”).


  4. As soon as IT creates the network account in Active Directory, the employee should start populating in the Access Request Form. Type in part of the user’s name here, they will now show up as an existing user. 

    If the user is not yet populating, we probably have not created them in AD yet. In a pinch, reach out to us if needed. Just know that it will still take time for AD to synchronize with Office 365, so if you are quick to move onto Step 3, some field values you filled out previously will be blank, even if we input them on our end already. Doesn’t break anything, but perhaps it helps to be aware.

  5. Fill out the rest of the fields as applicable, ticking boxes for any equipment, software, or access that you know they will need. iTransplant is an example of something that always needs approval, but the form takes care of that as long as the box is ticked. Also note the “Pattern Access After” field, which we can use to mirror an existing access level as far as Active Directory and iTransplant are concerned. It does not, however, tell us automatically which equipment or applications the user will need! I guess we can put that on IT’s Dream Wishlist.

     
    After giving things a thorough look-over, click that Submit button at the bottom. Careful with that clicker finger—don’t clear out the form you’ve worked so hard to complete!