--- title: Automating User Management by Integrating OpenIAM and Workday description: In this blog post, we discuss how integrating OpenIAM with Workday can transform the way organizations automate employee identity operations. image: https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/kevin-ku-w7ZyuGYNpRQ-unsplash.jpg --- - [Download a trial](https://www.openiam.com/download-a-trial) - [Sales](https://www.openiam.com/contact-sales) - [Support](https://openiam-help.freshdesk.com/support/login) - [Login](https://help.openiam.com/knowledge) [![logo](https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/logo.svg "logo")](https://www.openiam.com/) - [Home](https://www.openiam.com) - Products - Solutions - Partners - About Us - Consulting - Resources [Request a Quote** ](https://www.openiam.com/request-a-quote) - Workforce Identity* * - Customer Identity* * - Comparison* * - Subscriptions* * #### All Features Overview of all features in Workforce Identity #### User Onboarding and Offboarding Automate joiner, mover, leaver processes #### Access Request Access requests with multi-step approvals #### User Access Reviews Save time with user access reviews #### Self-Service Portal Self-service portal for all end user activities #### Segregation of Duties Detect and remediate SoD violations #### Password Management Enforce password policies and enable synchronization #### Single Sign-On (SSO) Enable SSO using standards - 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For those customers who are using Workday, integrating with OpenIAM transforms the way organizations automate employee identity operations. This blog post is designed to cut through that complexity by providing an overview of how this integration works.  You'll discover how connecting OpenIAM with your Workday tenant automates the 'joiner, mover, leaver' (JML) processes, resulting in the following benefits:  - **Efficiency:** Automates onboarding, internal role changes, and offboarding, cutting down on paperwork and manual data entry. - **Security:** Tightens security by automatically updating or revoking system access based on employee status, reducing the chance of error and unauthorized access. - **Cost Savings:** Lowers expenses by reducing the need for manual HR intervention, cutting down on labor costs and potential compliance-related penalties. - **Privacy Compliance:** Ensures that employee data remains confidential and secure, meeting the stringent requirements of data protection laws. We’ll cover how OpenIAM integrates with [Workday](https://www.openiam.com/solutions-for-workday), the options for JML processing, and the method for writing attributes back to Workday. By the end of this post, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of how this powerful integration can serve your organization's needs and elevate your HR management to the next level.  ### Integrating with Workday Workday offers a variety of interfaces for integration, including SOAP, REST, and Report as a Service (RaaS). While the SOAP interface provides detailed data, it often requires multiple calls for comprehensive employee information, which can lead to performance issues in IAM processes.  To streamline this, Workday's RaaS interface allows organizations to create customized reports. These reports act as web services, selectively presenting only the necessary attributes to the IAM system, enhancing efficiency. Implementers can also choose their preferred data delivery format, either JSON or XML.  OpenIAM simplifies this further with a ready-to-use connector, specifically designed to interact with RaaS endpoints formatted in JSON.  ![Workday](https://www.openiam.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Workday.png?width=1219&height=517&name=Workday.png) The accompanying diagram illustrates the integration process at a macro level. The Workday connector, once integrated into the OpenIAM cluster, is configured to periodically check the Workday RaaS endpoint for updates. The polling frequency is customizable to align with the organization's unique requirements, though typically, a schedule of 3 to 4 times per day is adequate for most operations.  ### JML Processing Options OpenIAM intelligently handles incoming data to determine the required operation, triggering the corresponding workflow. For new employees, this means initiating a 'New Joiner' workflow, which can be customized to accommodate variations such as rehires, rescinded offers, or no-shows. The system allows for tailored rules to manage these scenarios, ensuring a robust and comprehensive solution.  OpenIAM's workflows extend beyond just the identity management scope. They can be integrated with other systems to facilitate full onboarding or offboarding activities. Take, for instance, the logistics involved with a new hire—securing a laptop, badge, or phone. OpenIAM can orchestrate these processes, even when the items are outside its direct purview.  For example, OpenIAM can generate a form for managers to specify the resources a new hire needs. Once the manager completes and submits this form, OpenIAM can automatically raise a ticket in the IT Service Management (ITSM) system, prompting the responsible team to fulfill the equipment request. This streamlined approach not only simplifies the manager's role but also ensures that the new hire has everything they need from day one, creating a seamless end-to-end process.  ### Workday Write-Back Functionality In many organizations, one critical piece of data managed in Workday is the employee's Work_Email. However, Workday is often not the primary source of truth for this attribute; typically, the responsibility lies with the email system or the IAM system. To address this, OpenIAM offers a solution through its write-back functionality using the SOAP API.   During the onboarding process, a work email address is usually generated by the IAM or the email system. Once OpenIAM has this information, it can update Workday with the new Work_Email value. This action is performed through the SOAP interface, as the RaaS interface does not allow write operations. This seamless integration ensures that Workday's records remain consistent with authoritative sources.  ### Benefits of the OpenIAM/Workday Integration In conclusion, the integration of OpenIAM with Workday is more than just a technical enhancement; it's a strategic business move that offers a wealth of benefits. By streamlining the '[joiner, mover, leaver](https://www.openiam.com/workforce-identity-concepts/identity-lifecycle-management/joiner-mover-leaver-lifecycle)' processes, organizations can achieve greater operational efficiency, bolster security, realize cost savings, and ensure privacy compliance. This powerful synergy automates the intricate workflows of HR management, allowing businesses to focus on growth and innovation while resting assured that their employee identity operations are running smoothly. With OpenIAM's features like write-back functionality and customizable workflows, your Workday ecosystem becomes even more robust, ready to adapt to the evolving needs of your enterprise.     ### FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions #### What is the benefit of integrating OpenIAM with Workday? Integrating OpenIAM with Workday centralises user identity data and automates onboarding, role changes, and offboarding. This ensures that any HR-driven identity changes in Workday immediately reflect in applications, reducing manual provisioning and governance gaps. #### How does the integration speed up user onboarding and changes? When a new hire or role change is recorded in Workday, OpenIAM automatically provisions or updates accounts and permissions based on configured policies — eliminating waiting time for IT, reducing errors, and ensuring users get appropriate access from day one. #### Does the integration improve compliance and audit readiness? Yes. Because OpenIAM logs all provisioning, deprovisioning, and entitlement changes triggered via Workday events, organisations get full audit trails, consistent policy enforcement, and reduced risk of orphaned accounts — important for compliance and internal audits. #### How are offboarding and revocation handled when employees leave? When Workday marks an employee as terminated or inactive, OpenIAM automatically revokes or disables access across connected systems, ensuring no residual permissions remain and reducing exposure from stale accounts. #### Is this integration suited only for large enterprises? No. Even mid-size organisations benefit significantly — the automation reduces manual admin, lowers risk of errors, and delivers rapid ROI by shrinking helpdesk overhead and speeding time to value. #### What are key prerequisites before integrating Workday with OpenIAM? Before integrating, ensure your Workday instance is configured with correct attributes (job role, department, status), define access policies in OpenIAM, map entitlement rules, and verify connectors for all relevant target systems. Proper mapping and policy design are critical for a smooth and secure onboarding/offboarding flow. ##### Share [** ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url={url}&title={title}) [** ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u={url}) [** ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url={url}&text={title}) ## Leave a Comment ![footer-top-logo](https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/OpenIAM-2022/Images/SVG-Icons/footer-top-logo.svg) [![openIAM-white-logo](https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/OpenIAM-2022/Site-Logo/openIAM-white-logo.svg "openIAM-white-logo")](https://openiam.com) All modules of our IAM platform share a common infrastructure allowing customers to see one unified identity solution versus a collection of disparate products. - [![linkedin-icon](https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/OpenIAM-2022/Images/SVG-Icons/linkedin-icon.svg) ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/openiam-llc) - [![facebook-icon](https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/OpenIAM-2022/Images/SVG-Icons/facebook-icon.svg) ](https://www.facebook.com/openiam) - [![twitter-icon](https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/OpenIAM-2022/Images/SVG-Icons/twitter-icon.svg) ](https://twitter.com/openiam) - [![youtube-icon](https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/OpenIAM-2022/Images/SVG-Icons/youtube-icon.svg) ](https://www.youtube.com/c/OpeniamLLC/featured) [sales@openiam.com](mailto:sales@openiam.com) [(858)935-7561](tel:(858)935-7561) ![](https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/OpenIAM-2022/Images/Pattern-Images/footer-bg-pattern.svg) Copyright © 2026 OpenIAM. All rights reserved. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.openiam.com/privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "FAQPage", "mainEntity" : [ { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Integrating OpenIAM with Workday centralises identity data and automates onboarding, role changes, and offboarding — ensuring HR-driven identity updates immediately reflect in applications without manual provisioning." }, "name" : "What is the benefit of integrating OpenIAM with Workday?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "When a new hire or role change is recorded in Workday, OpenIAM auto-provisions or updates accounts and permissions based on configured policies, eliminating manual delays and ensuring appropriate access from day one." }, "name" : "How does the integration speed up user onboarding and changes?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Yes — OpenIAM logs all provisioning, deprovisioning, and entitlement changes triggered via Workday events, providing full audit trails, consistent policy enforcement, and reducing risk of orphaned accounts." }, "name" : "Does the integration improve compliance and audit readiness?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "When Workday marks an employee as terminated or inactive, OpenIAM automatically revokes or disables access across all connected systems, ensuring no residual permissions remain and minimizing security risk." }, "name" : "How are offboarding and revocation handled when employees leave?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "No — even mid-sized organisations benefit significantly. The automation reduces manual administration, lowers error risk, shrinks helpdesk workload, and delivers faster time-to-value." }, "name" : "Is this integration suited only for large enterprises?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "You need a properly configured Workday instance (correct attributes like job role, department, user status), clearly defined access policies in OpenIAM, mapped entitlement rules, and verified connectors for target systems to enable smooth onboarding/offboarding." }, "name" : "What are key prerequisites before integrating Workday with OpenIAM?" } ] } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.openiam.com/", "name" : "Home", "position" : 1 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.openiam.com/blog/", "name" : "Blog", "position" : 2 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.openiam.com/blog/automating-user-management-by-integrating-openiam-and-workday", "name" : "Automating User Management by Integrating OpenIAM and Workday", "position" : 3 } ] } ```