What's the difference between SCIM integration and standard HR synchronisation?

Main differences and what to consider with SCIM integrations

Benefits of a SCIM Integration

An integration using the SCIM protocol allows for more data-efficient synchronisation of user data with desk.ly. Unlike conventional HR synchronisation, where all data from the system is transferred to desk.ly, a SCIM integration lets you restrict your selection and synchronise only relevant user groups.

You can then use these user groups in desk.ly to create permission groups.

How to Proceed with a SCIM Integration in desk.ly

Step 1: Establish the SCIM Connection

First, you need to connect your SCIM integration to Kombo, the tool that desk.ly uses for synchronisation. Follow the steps in this guide to establish the connection to the SCIM integration.

Step 2: Set up the SCIM Integration

1. Next, set up the SCIM integration in your HR system, for example Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). This guide on setting up the SCIM connection explains exactly how that works.
2. Once you have verified the SCIM connection, select the user groups you want to synchronise (Step 12 and following). Important: Select all groups here that you later want to use in desk.ly to grant permissions to your users!
   
   Example: You have an "All Employees" group containing all employees you want to import into desk.ly. However, many of these employees are also assigned to other groups in your system, such as "Customer Success," "IT," and "Management." You want to grant permissions in desk.ly based on these groups. For example, only Management can book a specific meeting room, or only IT can book on a certain floor. In this case, you must select all groups that you want to use for permissions in the SCIM integration (whitelisting).
3. Once you have completed the provisioning of the user groups in the SCIM integration, you must then assign the groups accordingly in desk.ly.

Step 3: Assign User Groups in desk.ly

1. Go to the admin area.
2. In the left-hand navigation, scroll to "User Management" and click "HR Synchronisation".
3. In the "Source settings for synchronisation" tile, you can now select the group whose members should be transferred to desk.ly under "groups for synchronisation".
   
   
   Good to know: Only people contained in the group you select here are imported. However, for these people, it's also communicated whether they belong to other groups in your HRIS, such as "Customer Success" or "Management". This information is necessary for the next step.
4. In the tile on the top right, you can now assign the people to your desk.ly permission groups. For example, you can assign people from the "Customer Success" group to the desk.ly "Customer Success" permission group, or members of "Management" to the desk.ly "Management" permission group.
   
5. Check your selection and save the changes.