I. Intro
Availability: This feature is in beta.
Who can perform these steps: Primary administrators or administrators with "Directory Sync" permission.
As organizations expand and businesses grow, managing organizational structure data becomes increasingly challenging. Member information, department structure and other data hosted in various systems may be inconsistent, posing difficulties to management and collaboration. Data consistency and accuracy are essential to efficient business operations. Directory Sync is a set of tools designed to address this issue. By automatically synchronizing data among different systems, these tools help organizations ensure data consistency and accuracy across all systems and achieve more efficient management and decision-making.
This article describes the primary functions of directory sync tools and the value they can bring to your organization.
II. About directory sync tools
- Functions
1.1. Automatic data synchronization
Directory sync tools can automatically synchronize data among different systems in real time or at fixed intervals. For example, the Okta Sync App and JumpCloud Sync App can synchronize user and group information in Okta and JumpCloud to the Lark Admin Console, ensuring that all systems have consistent data.
1.2 Data mapping and conversion
Different systems may use different data formats and have varied data requirements. Most Lark directory sync tools are capable of data mapping and conversion. They can adjust and format data in accordance with the target system's requirements to ensure data correctness and compatibility.
1.3 Log auditing
For greater transparency and traceability of the synchronization, directory sync tools come with a log auditing feature. Every synchronization, data change, and access will be recorded. Administrators can view and audit the logs at any time to ensure the compliance and security of the data operations.
1.4 Synchronization report
These tools also provide comprehensive synchronization reports to help organizations monitor the status and outcome of the synchronization in real time. The reports include the number of successful synchronizations, failed synchronizations, and causes of failures. Administrators can use the report to learn about the synchronization and make necessary adjustments.
1.5 Notification of synchronization failure
Data synchronization may result in data conflicts, which require human intervention. Directory sync tools can send notifications if synchronizations fail. In the event of synchronization errors or failures, the system will immediately send a notification to the relevant administrators, making sure that any issue can be fixed in a timely manner to avoid interruptions to business operations.
1.6 Security and compliance
By means of encrypted transmission and access control, these tools ensure data security during synchronizations. In addition, they comply with relevant standards and help organizations meet legal and industry requirements.
- Applications
2.1 Cross-department collaboration
Cross-department collaboration projects are common in large organizations, which require that members from different departments work together. However, the information of these members may reside in different systems. With the directory sync tools, all the member information can be unified across all systems to improve collaboration efficiency.
2.2 Member onboarding and offboarding
When members are onboarded or offboarded, organizations need to update the member information in a range of systems. Manual updating is not only time-consuming, but also error-prone. Directory sync tools can make automatic updates to make sure that all systems are updated in time, minimizing manual workloads and eliminating human errors.
2.3 Data compliance auditing
In highly regulated industries such as finance and healthcare, data compliance is of the utmost importance. With directory sync tools, organizations can rest assured that data in all systems is in compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and standards. Moreover, they can use the log auditing and reporting functions to conduct regular reviews and minimize compliance risks.
2.4 Global branch office management
Organizations with branch offices across the globe may have difficulty managing data hosted in different regions. Directory sync tools can synchronize data globally and across borders to make sure that headquarters and branch offices share the same data, thus promoting unified management of global businesses.
- Customer value
3.1 Improved operation efficiency
Automatic data synchronization enables organizations to minimize manual inputting and data maintenance workloads, eliminate human mistakes, and thereby improve overall operation efficiency. Members can devote more time and efforts to core business and drive organization growth.
3.2 Increased support for decision-making
Data consistency and accuracy are the basis for effective decision-making. Directory sync tools make sure that the managers have access to up-to-date and accurate data, helping them make more reasonable and effective decisions.
3.3 Enhanced collaboration and communication
Consistent data across different systems can help members collaborate and communicate in a smoother way. For both cross-department collaboration or day-to-day communication, Directory sync tools can make sure that everyone is using the same data, which helps improve collaboration efficiency.
3.4 Reduced IT costs
Automatic data synchronization reduces the need for IT staff and lowers the costs related to data maintenance and management. This allows organizations to manage data efficiently without incurring additional labor costs.
3.5 Enhanced security and compliance
Directory sync tools help organizations ensure the security of data transmission, comply with relevant regulatory requirements, and minimize risks posed by data leaks or violations.
III. Related