How to Automate User Cleanup for Better License Management

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You open your Jira admin panel, pull up the user list, and realize half the accounts haven't logged in for months. Some people have left the company. Others switched teams and never touched Jira again. 

These unused accounts not only make administration difficult but also lead to unnecessary license consumption and potential security risks.

The miniOrange User Management app for Jira Cloud helps admins tackle this challenge by automating the entire user process from inactivity detection to access removal, suspension, and even deletion.

This can be configured in just a few steps.

Step 1: Configure Inactivity Rules

First, decide what "inactive" means for your organization. Is it 30 days without a login? 60? 90? That's up to you.

Then, navigate to the Scheduler Cleanup tab in the User Management app and:

• Sets the inactivity threshold to 30 or any custom ‘X’ number of days
• Selects actions based on the user’s last login time, such as:
  • Deactivating users
  • Suspending users
  • Removing product access (Jira Software, Confluence, Jira Service Management)
• Exports user data as a CSV file for auditing purposes

Once configured, the app continuously monitors user activity and runs the scheduler at the defined intervals.

When a user reaches the specified inactivity period (30 or X days), the selected action (deactivation, suspension, or access removal) is executed automatically, with no manual effort required.

Step 2: Automatically Delete Dormant Users

Deactivating users is a good start, but those dormant accounts still sit in your Jira. If you want a truly clean instance, you can take it a step further, configure the app to automatically delete deactivated or suspended users after a set number of days.

• Configure automatic deletion of deactivated or suspended users after ‘X’ days
• The app then removes these user accounts automatically

This helps:

• Reduce unnecessary license usage
• Keep the instance clean and optimized

                 

Step 3: Handle Org Admins or C-Level

For critical users such as C-level executives or organization admins, you may not want these rules to apply universally.

• Add such users or specific groups to a Protected Group
• Users in this group are excluded from all automated actions (deactivation, suspension, or deletion)

This ensures that key stakeholders retain uninterrupted access while automation continues for all other users.

Step 4: Notify Users with Email Alerts

To keep things transparent, you can enable email notifications that go out before a user's access is removed. The email gives users a heads-up, and if you've configured it, includes a link to request access again.

• Users receive an email before reaching the defined ‘X’ days of removal
• The email can include a link to request access again (if configured by the admin)

This approach keeps the process transparent while maintaining full control.

Step 5: Seamless Access Restoration

If a user needs product access again, they can easily request it via:

• Jira Service Portal
• Email 
• Slack, Teams (Coming Soon)

Once the request is raised:

• The app automatically restores product access
• Access is granted based on predefined rules (user group or domain)

This eliminates manual approvals and speeds up restoration of product access.

Before vs After: Cleaner & Smarter User Management

Before automation:

• Atlassian instance includes active, inactive, suspended users
• License usage is inflated
• Admin effort is high

After automation:

• Inactive users are removed automatically
• Suspended and deactivated users are clearly managed - No security risk
• License usage decreases
• Instance becomes accurate and easy to manage

 Why This Matters

This workflow demonstrates how miniOrange simplifies user management process:

• Detects inactivity automatically
• Removes unnecessary access
• Enables easy automatic access
• Deletes inactive or suspended  users

All of this happens with minimal admin effort, allowing teams to focus on more strategic tasks.

Watch the Full Workflow

Want to see the full setup? Here's a quick walkthrough: https://youtu.be/0cq3pq6sG1E?si=sCWKl4QkGCwUL_pL

If you're exploring ways to improve Jira user management, you can learn more here:

• Why Automated User Management for Jira
• Schedule a Demo