
As organizations grow and integrate multiple SaaS applications into their tech stack, managing user identities across systems becomes increasingly complex. Ensuring secure, compliant access to sensitive corporate data—while streamlining user provisioning and deprovisioning—is essential for operational efficiency. To address these challenges, organizations are increasingly turning to SCIM provisioning.

This blog will delve into SCIM provisioning, its key features, and how miniOrange supports both [SCIM and SAML protocols in its solutions](https://www.miniorange.com/atlassian/atlassian-saml-single-sign-on-sso) to streamline identity management and secure user access.

### What is SCIM Provisioning? {#scim-provisioning}

[SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management)](https://scim.cloud/) provisioning is an open standard that automates the exchange of user identity information between identity providers (IdPs) and service providers (SPs). It simplifies user lifecycle management—provisioning, updating, and deprovisioning users across multiple SaaS applications—ensuring secure, consistent, and efficient access control.

By leveraging SCIM, organizations can reduce manual administrative tasks, improve security, and maintain compliance by automatically syncing user attributes and access permissions across their tech ecosystem.

Any changes made in the IDP—such as creating, updating, or deleting user accounts or groups are automatically synchronized across all connected platforms in real time.

### Why is SCIM the Best Choice? {#why-is-scim}

SCIM provisioning offers several advantages, making it a preferred solution for identity management:

**\- Automation** : Eliminates manual tasks by streamlining user provisioning and deprovisioning, reducing errors, and saving time.

**\- Standardization** : Provides a consistent protocol for exchanging identity data, ensuring seamless integration across multiple platforms.

**\- Enhanced Security** : Maintains up-to-date access controls, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access and strengthening overall security.

**\- Scalability** : Efficiently manages thousands of users, making it ideal for enterprises with large workforces.

**\- Cost Efficiency** : Automation reduces administrative overhead, leading to significant cost savings.

### Key Features of SCIM Provisioning {#key-features}

SCIM provisioning offers robust features designed to simplify and enhance identity management:

**\- User Lifecycle Management** : Automates the creation, modification, and deletion of user accounts across systems.

**\- Real-Time Synchronization** : Instantly updates user data across all connected platforms, ensuring consistency.

**\- Seamless Compatibility** : Uses standardized protocols to enable smooth integration between identity providers and service providers supporting SCIM.

**\- Enhanced Security & Compliance** : Securely exchanges identity information while adhering to regulatory standards.

**\- Cross-Domain Integration** : Synchronizes user data effortlessly across multiple domains for streamlined identity management.

### Seamless Identity Management with SAML + SCIM App by miniOrange for Atlassian {#saml+scim}

miniOrange simplifies identity and access management for Atlassian environments with its Jira & Confluence [Single Sign-On (SSO) and SCIM provisioning](https://www.miniorange.com/atlassian/atlassian-saml-single-sign-on-sso)app.

**Core Features of the miniOrange SAML & SCIM App**

**Seamless User Management with SCIM & JIT Provisioning:**

**\- SCIM User Sync & Provisioning** : Automates user identity synchronization from Identity Providers (IdPs) to Jira, handling user creation, updates, and deactivation in real time.

**\- Just-In-Time (JIT) Provisioning** : Automatically creates users and groups in Jira upon their first login, eliminating manual onboarding.

**Flexible Authentication & Access Control:**

**\- Multi-IDP Support** : Integrates seamlessly with leading Identity Providers like Okta, Azure AD, OneLogin, Keycloak, and more, providing flexible authentication options.

**\- Advanced Login Flow Control** : Enforce granular access policies, set up custom login redirections, and apply advanced authentication rules for a secure, tailored login experience.

**Enhanced Security & Compliance:**

**\- Single Logout (SLO)** : Ensures users are fully signed out from all connected applications when they log out, enhancing security.

**\- Header-Based Authentication** : Supports secure authentication for applications requiring custom header-based login methods.

**\- 2FA/MFA Integration** : Strengthens authentication by incorporating Two-Factor (2FA) or Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) directly with Identity Providers.

miniOrange’s SAML & SCIM solution provides a **comprehensive, secure, and automated** approach to identity management within Atlassian environments, streamlining user access while enhancing security.

### Optimized for Atlassian Data Center Deployments {#data-center-deployment}

The miniOrange SAML & SCIM app is designed to meet the demands of Atlassian Data Center environments, ensuring:

**\- High Availability** : Built to support active-active clustering, preventing downtime and ensuring continuous authentication services.

**\- Scalability** : Handles large user bases efficiently, making it ideal for enterprises with thousands of users.

**\- Performance Optimization** : Maintains fast authentication and provisioning speeds, even during peak loads.

**Get Started with miniOrange**

Book a free demo of the miniOrange SAML & SCIM app today!

For more details or inquiries, contact us at **info@xecurify.com**, and our team will be happy to assist you.

### Frequently Asked Questions About SCIM {#faq}

**What does SCIM stand for?**

SCIM stands for **System for Cross-domain Identity Management**, a standardized protocol designed to automate user provisioning and identity synchronization.

**How is SCIM different from API-based provisioning?**

Both SCIM and API-based provisioning automate identity management, but SCIM follows a **standardized framework** specifically for identity synchronization, making integrations easier and more consistent. API-based provisioning, on the other hand, offers broader functionality but often requires **custom development** and ongoing maintenance.

**Is SCIM secure?**

Yes, SCIM is designed with security in mind. It **encrypts data during transmission** and follows industry best practices to ensure secure identity synchronization while maintaining compliance with regulatory standards.

**Can SCIM handle mismatched usernames between Identity Providers (IdPs) and service providers?**

Yes! miniOrange’s **Crowd SCIM Plugin** includes **regex-based username transformation**, allowing seamless mapping of mismatched usernames between IdPs and Atlassian applications.

**Does miniOrange offer advanced group management features beyond Atlassian's built-in SCIM?**

Yes, miniOrange provides **manual group mapping**, allowing administrators to link specific IdP groups to Jira groups. Unlike standard SCIM, which only supports **automated group sync**, miniOrange offers **granular control** over user access, ensuring the right users are assigned to the correct projects and resources.

**Can miniOrange sync custom user attributes to Jira beyond Atlassian’s standard SCIM fields?**

Absolutely! miniOrange supports **custom attribute mapping**, enabling you to sync additional user attributes—such as **department codes, employee IDs, or job roles**—from your IdP to Jira. This allows for **personalized user experiences** and improved automation, features that Atlassian’s native SCIM may not support. 

### Useful Links {#useful-links}

For more information on miniOrange’s offerings:

1\. [SCIM Provisioning Atlassian Plugin Marketplace](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/search?query=scim%20provisioning) 

2\. [SCIM miniOrange Webpage](https://www.miniorange.com/atlassian/atlassian-user-and-group-sync)

3\. [SAML SSO Landing Page](https://www.miniorange.com/atlassian/atlassian-saml-single-sign-on-sso)

4\. [SAML SCIM SSO Atlassian Marketplace Page](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/search?query=Saml%20SCIM)

5\. [Client Success Story - T- Mobile](https://www.miniorange.com/atlassian/scim-with-native-sso-for-t-mobile)







Discover the benefits of SCIM provisioning for your Atlassian environment. Automate user management, improve security, and simplify access with miniOrange.

Unlock SCIM Provisioning for Effortless and Secure User Management in Atlassian


Atlassian Crowd is a powerful centralized user management tool that provides a single point of control for authentication and access across multiple Atlassian applications like Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket. 

However, managing users and licenses manually in Crowd can be a time-consuming and error-prone process. Administrators often struggle with provisioning, offboarding, and ensuring optimal license usage, leading to security risks, compliance challenges, and unnecessary costs.

This is where the [miniOrange Automated User & License Management app](https://www.miniorange.com/atlassian/atlassian-bulk-user-management) comes into play. By introducing automation into user access lifecycle management, role-based access control, and license optimization, organizations can eliminate inefficiencies and streamline their identity and access management processes in Crowd.

In this article, we’ll explore the challenges of manual user and license management, the benefits of automation, and how miniOrange’s solution simplifies these processes to improve security, efficiency, and compliance.

### The Hidden Costs of Manual User & License Management in Atlassian Crowd {#costs-of-manual-user-and-license-management}

Manually managing users and licenses in Atlassian Crowd can seem manageable at first, but as organizations scale, it quickly turns into an operational bottleneck. Admins have to spend countless hours provisioning new users, updating roles, deactivating inactive accounts, and tracking license usage—all while trying to maintain security and compliance.

&nbsp;

**The Pain Points of Manual User Management :**

-**Time-Consuming & Error-Prone Processes** : Admins often rely on manual workflows to add or remove users, leading to delays and mistakes that can impact productivity.

-**Security Risks from Ghost Accounts** : Failure to offboard users promptly creates security vulnerabilities, leaving access open for former employees or unused accounts.

-**Compliance Challenges** : Regulations like GDPR and HIPAA require strict control over user data and access. Without automated tracking, compliance audits become complex and time-intensive.

&nbsp;

**The Inefficiencies of Manual License Management :**

-**Wasted Licenses & Unnecessary Costs** : Organizations often pay for inactive users due to a lack of real-time tracking and automated deactivation.

-**Overprovisioning & Underutilization** : Without an automated system, assigning and revoking licenses based on actual usage becomes inefficient, leading to resource wastage.

-**Lack of Visibility & Reporting** : IT admins struggle to get a clear view of license usage, making it difficult to optimize allocations and ensure compliance.

**The Case for No-Code User Management & License Management :**

Managing users and licenses in Atlassian Crowd doesn’t have to involve complex scripts or manual intervention. With our no-code user & license management feature, admins can automate provisioning, enforce access policies, and optimize license usage—all without writing a single line of code. This streamlines IT operations while enhancing security, compliance, and cost efficiency.


### Automating User Lifecycles: From Onboarding to Offboarding in Atlassian Crowd {#automating-user-lifecycles}

 Manually handling user lifecycles—onboarding, role updates, and offboarding—can be inefficient and error-prone. Without automation, IT teams must manually provision new accounts, adjust permissions as roles change, and ensure timely deactivation when employees leave. These processes not only consume valuable time but also introduce security and compliance risks.

&nbsp;

**How miniOrange Automates User Lifecycle Management :**

With **miniOrange’s Automated User & License Management app**, businesses can eliminate manual interventions and streamline every stage of the user lifecycle:

-**Automated Role & Access Updates** : Ensure users always have the right level of access as they move across departments or projects.

-**Effortless Offboarding** : Automatically revoke access and deactivate accounts when employees leave, preventing security risks.

By automating user lifecycle management in Atlassian Crowd, organizations can improve efficiency, enhance security, and maintain compliance—all while reducing IT workload.

### Optimizing Atlassian Crowd License Management {#optimizing-atlassian-crowd}

Managing licenses in Atlassian Crowd can quickly become a challenge, especially as teams scale and user counts fluctuate. Without automation, IT admins must manually track active users, revoke unused licenses, and ensure compliance with licensing policies. This not only increases administrative overhead but also leads to unnecessary costs due to unused or misallocated licenses.

&nbsp;

**Common Challenges in Manual License Management :**

-**License Wastage** : Unused or inactive accounts continue consuming licenses, increasing costs.

-**Inefficient Tracking** : Without automation, IT teams must manually monitor and adjust license allocation.

-**Non-Compliance Risks** : Over-assigning or under-utilizing licenses can lead to compliance issues with Atlassian’s licensing policies.

&nbsp;

**How miniOrange Automates License Management :**

With the miniOrange Automated User & License Management app, organizations can optimize license usage in Atlassian Crowd effortlessly:

-**Automated License Allocation** : Assign licenses dynamically based on actual user activity and predefined policies.

-**Inactive User Cleanup** : Detects and revokes licenses from inactive users, reducing unnecessary costs.

-**Compliance-Ready Audits** : Maintain transparency with automated tracking and reporting, ensuring adherence to licensing requirements.

By automating license management, businesses can maximize their Atlassian investment, reduce IT workload, and ensure compliance—without the hassle of manual tracking.

### Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Atlassian Crowd: Enforcing Secure Group-Based Access {#enforcing-secure-based-access}

Ensuring the right users have the right level of access is critical for security and compliance. **Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)** helps enforce the **principle of least privilege**, ensuring users only access what they need based on their roles. However, manually managing role assignments and access levels can be time-consuming and prone to errors, leading to security risks and compliance gaps.

&nbsp;

**Challenges of Manual Role Management :**

-**Overprovisioned Access** : Users often retain excessive permissions, increasing security risks.

-**Inconsistent Role Assignments** : Without structured RBAC, admins may assign access arbitrarily, leading to inefficiencies.

-**Compliance Risks** : Regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 require strict access controls, which manual processes struggle to enforce.

**Group-Based RBAC with miniOrange :**

The miniOrange Automated User & License Management app simplifies RBAC by integrating group-based access control, allowing admins to:

-**Assign Roles Automatically** : Users are added to predefined groups based on department, job role, or team.

-**Enforce Least Privilege Access** : Ensure users only get the necessary permissions, reducing insider threats.

By leveraging group-based RBAC, organizations can enhance security, streamline access management, and simplify audits—all while reducing the IT workload.


### SAML SSO + 2FA: Secure & Seamless Access to Atlassian Tools {#saml-sso-2fa}

Managing multiple logins across Atlassian tools is inefficient and risky. Integrating [SAML Single Sign-On (SSO)](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1218304/saml-single-sign-on-sso-for-crowd-connected-apps?hosting=datacenter&tab=overview) with **Atlassian Crowd** simplifies authentication by enabling users to log in once and securely access connected Atlassian applications like Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket—reducing password fatigue and security risks.

However, **SSO alone isn’t enough**. Without an extra layer of protection, compromised credentials can still lead to unauthorized access. Combining **SAML SSO with** [Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1224960/mo-two-factor-authentication-2fa-for-crowd?hosting=datacenter&tab=overview) ensures that only verified users can access critical systems, enhancing security across **Crowd-managed user directories**.

&nbsp;&nbsp;


**Key Benefits of miniOrange SAML SSO + 2FA for Atlassian Crowd :**

-**Centralized Authentication** : One login for all Atlassian tools.

-**Stronger Security** : Enforce 2FA via OTP, push notifications, or biometrics.
Adaptive Authentication : Apply 2FA based on risk factors like location or device.

With miniOrange SAML SSO + 2FA, organizations achieve both efficiency and security, reducing IT overhead while ensuring compliance with zero-trust principles.


### Case Study: How Collins Aerospace Optimized License Management with miniOrange {#case-study}

Collins Aerospace struggled with manual user deactivation, inefficient license management, and limited visibility into user activity within their Atlassian applications.

miniOrange’s **Crowd Automated User Management App** streamlined Collins Aerospace’s user and license management by automating deactivation of inactive users, efficiently removing them from licensed groups (while retaining exceptions), and enabling filtered data exports for better audits. 

This automation reduced manual effort, optimized license utilization, and improved visibility into user activity, allowing them to focus on strategic priorities. You can read more about the case study at [Collins Aerospace case study](https://www.miniorange.com/atlassian/bulk-user-management-for-collins-aerospace).

### GDPR Compliance with Automated User Management {#automated-user-management}

GDPR requires organizations to enforce strict data protection measures, including secure access control, timely user deactivation, and accurate record-keeping. Manual user management increases the risk of non-compliance due to errors, delayed offboarding, and lack of auditability.

With **miniOrange’s Automated User Management for Crowd**, organizations can seamlessly enforce role-based access, automatically deactivate inactive users, and maintain detailed audit logs—all while reducing manual intervention. 

By ensuring that only authorized users have access to sensitive data and automating compliance processes, miniOrange helps organizations meet GDPR requirements efficiently, minimizing security risks and administrative overhead.

### Conclusion: Simplify User & License Management in Atlassian Crowd {#conclusion}

Managing users and licenses manually in Atlassian Crowd is time-consuming, error-prone, and costly. With miniOrange’s No-Code User Management & License Management solution, businesses can:


-**Automate user lifecycle management** : from onboarding to offboarding—reducing IT workload and improving accuracy.

-**Optimize license utilization** by automatically deactivating inactive users and reallocating licenses efficiently.

-**Enhance security with Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)**, ensuring users have the right permissions based on their roles.

-**Enable seamless authentication with SAML SSO & 2FA**, improving both security and user experience.

-**Ensure GDPR compliance** with automated access control, audit logs, and secure data handling.


By leveraging **no-code automation**, organizations can streamline operations, boost security, and cut costs—all without manual intervention. Ready to experience hassle-free user and license management? **Get a** [hands-on demo](https://miniorange.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/2/group/6/create/66) **of miniOrange’s solution today!**

Discover how miniOranges Automated User & License Management app simplifies Atlassian Crowd management. Automate user lifecycle, optimize licenses, enforce RBAC, and enhance security with SAML SSO + 2FA. Boost efficiency, cut costs, and ensure compliance effortlessly!

Unlock Seamless User & License Management in Crowd with miniOrange


## Crowd User Management at your fingertips 🙌

Hello Crowd Admins!

An acronym for System for Cross-domain Identity Management, SCIM is an open standard that helps in automating the user identity lifecycle management process.

That’s the industry definition, sounds complicated! Let’s see if we can simplify it a bit with the help of this article. It’s all about ‘identity and access management (IAM),’ the concept has been around for quite some time. Think about if you are able to create a user account in one system and matching accounts automatically get created in other systems the user needs access to.

Sounds amazing but it’s not so simple as each system may have its own unique connection methods such as LDAP, SQL, ADSI, custom APIs, etc. That’s where SCIM comes into the picture, it is designed to make managing user identities in cloud-based services and applications easier, but before we go further let’s dive into…

### Why SCIM? {#why-scim}

Instead of the ‘what’ let’s begin with the ‘why.’ We use different cloud-based SaaS applications such as Salesforce, Zendesk, GitHub, Trello, etc. in our daily work routine depending on our role. These applications were assigned to us when we initially joined. This is done by the IT Admin of the company, now think for a minute if a company has less than 10 employees, manually adding them to the application might work but what if the size of the company runs into hundreds or thousands, the task becomes challenging. And, what about when an employee leaves or is terminated from the company they are removed from the company’s employee directory and all access revoked?

The crowd is the tool given by Atlassian which manages users and groups for all Atlassian apps. Crowd is a centralized directory and the access and authorization to Jira, confluence applications are very much dependent on Crowd.

We are pleased to present to you the app that aims to solve your most complex problem. Syncing & Managing users in a crowd is now a problem of the past! Introducing the miniOrange [Crowd SCIM Plugin](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1229918/mo-scim-provisioning-user-group-sync-for-crowd?hosting=datacenter&tab=overview) 🎉

The Crowd SCIM plugin connects Crowd with your Identity Provider. You can connect different Identity Providers such as Okta, Azure AD, Onelogin, Keycloak, G Suite and any SCIM Supported IDPs for provisioning. Unleash the true potential of Crowd giving you access to features like:-

**Provision & De-Provision users 🔁**

Easily provision and de-provision users in Crowd in sync with your Identity Provider.

**Update/Activate/Deactivate users ✅**

Automatically update the details of users, and activate and deactivate user accounts (If deleted or deactivated in IDP) to save extra license costs and improve the security of your organization.

**Real-Time Provision Users 🚀**

As soon as a user is created on your Identity Provider, it will automatically be created in Crowd, in REAL TIME!!!!

**IDP App-specific provisioning 🖥️**

You can choose provisioning features based on your configured IDPs. Isn’t that great?

**Transform username based on regex for matching user 🧑‍**

Do your users have different usernames in your IDP and different usernames in Crowd? We’ve got you covered. This feature will allow you to transform the username received from the IDP and create or update the desired username in Crowd.

![Crowd User Management Sync](https://miniorange.com/atlassian/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/01/Crowd-SCIM.webp)

I hope you enjoy this plugin as much as we did while creating it. While this is what we’re offering now, here’s our roadmap for the next release:

-   Upcoming Features 🛣️

-   Scheduled Provisioning

-   Filter users by groups for assigning

-   Manual user sync button

-   Sync/update users upon successful authentication

Feel free to reach out to us at [atlassiansupport@xecurify.com](mailto:atlassiansupport@xecurify.com) for a free demo, setup, or any custom use case. We’re happy to help 😄

Try the miniOrange Crowd SCIM plugin today!


Use Crowd SCIM to sync your users, groups and directories with SCIM for Server/DC. Support for Azure AD, Okta, Onelogin, Oracle IDCS, ... IDPs