How miniOrange Upgraded Atlassian User Management for a Government Agency

In the public sector, IT efficiency isn't just about convenience - it’s about fiscal responsibility and strict compliance. Government agencies often manage thousands of users across Jira, Confluence, and Jira Service Management (JSM). As these environments grow, so does the complexity of managing access.

We recently worked with a government entity facing a common dilemma: their Atlassian environment was bloated with inactive users consuming expensive licenses, while their IT admins were drowning in manual access requests.

Here is how they transformed their manual, error-prone processes into a secure, automated powerhouse using the miniOrange Automated User Management App.

The Challenge: The High Cost of Manual Management

Before automation, the agency’s IT team was stuck in a reactive loop:

License Bloat: Users who hadn't logged in for months were still occupying seats. With strict budget caps, paying for unused licenses was a significant misuse of resources.
Administrative Overload: Granting or revoking access was a manual task. Admins spent hours every week clicking through user directories rather than focusing on strategic initiatives.
Barrier to Entry: When legitimate users lost access, getting back in was slow, the manual process involving emails and delays.

They needed a solution that could clean up dormancy automatically while providing a frictionless path for re-entry – all without lifting a finger.

The Solution: Intelligent Automation & "Self-Healing" Access

The agency deployed the miniOrange User Management App to orchestrate a complete lifecycle management system. Here’s how the new workflow operates:

1. Automated License Reclamation (The Cleanup)

The first step was stopping the bleeding of budget on unused licenses. The agency set up custom rules to manage inactivity across Jira, JSM, and Confluence.

Granular Control: Specific inactivity thresholds were configured for each application, instead of applying blanket removal.
The "Safety Net" Notification: Automated emails notify users 5 days before access revocation, allowing active users to log in and reset the timer.
Strategic Exclusions: Certain groups (Department Heads, Auditors, System Admins) are excluded to ensure critical personnel never lose access.

2. Zero-Touch Access Provisioning

Revoking access is only half the battle; re-granting it efficiently is the other. The agency implemented an automated "Request Access" workflow using Jira Service Management (JSM).

Domain-Based Automation: If a user with a specific government email domain requests access, the system validates them against existing groups and grants access automatically.
No Admin Intervention: Previously, an admin had to manually approve and add users to groups. Now, the system handles the validation and provisioning instantly. The admin’s role shifted from "Gatekeeper" to "Auditor."

Why This Matters for Government IT

By implementing this automated architecture, the agency achieved immediate, measurable benefits:

License Optimization: The most immediate impact was financial. By automatically identifying and removing users who don't use the software, the agency significantly reduced their license count. They are no longer paying for "zombie users," ensuring taxpayer funds are spent only on active, necessary seats.
Operational Excellence (Time Saving): The sheer volume of manual tasks - adding users, removing users, checking last login dates - vanished. The IT team reclaimed countless hours previously lost to routine maintenance, allowing them to focus on security upgrades and infrastructure improvements.
Audit-Ready Compliance: For government entities, visibility is non-negotiable. The User Management app provides detailed Audit Logs and analytics. Admins can export a CSV list of users who currently have access, together with the associated accounts/groups and available timestamps. This export can be combined with existing audit logs to support internal reviews.