User Departure / Deactivation Request
User Departure / Deactivation Request — What to Include
⚠️ NOTICE: User accounts will NOT be deactivated until this form is completed in full. Incomplete requests will be placed on hold and returned to the submitter for the missing information. To ensure a smooth transition and avoid data loss, please ensure every required field below is filled in before submitting your ticket.
When an employee leaves Argus — whether permanent departure, termination, or extended leave — there are several decisions that need to be made before we can deactivate the account safely. Missing decisions cause delays and, in some cases, permanent data loss. Please complete the entire form below.
Required Information
Copy the block below into your ticket, then fill it in:
USER DEPARTURE / DEACTIVATION REQUEST
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Full name of departing user:
User's email address:
Job title:
Property / venue:
Reporting manager:
EFFECTIVE DATE — REQUIRED
Last day of work:
Deactivate account on (date and time):
(Usually end of business on their last day. If different, specify.)
DEPARTURE TYPE
[ ] Permanent departure (voluntary resignation, retirement)
[ ] Termination (involuntary — coordinate with HR)
[ ] Temporary leave (parental, medical, sabbatical) — expected return date:
[ ] Seasonal end (account kept dormant for next season)
[ ] Transfer to another Argus property — new property:
EMAIL HANDLING — REQUIRED
What should happen to their email after the last day?
[ ] Forward all incoming email to: ___________________ for [ ] 30 days [ ] 60 days [ ] 90 days [ ] Other:
[ ] Set up an out-of-office reply explaining the departure (provide message text below)
[ ] No forwarding — bounce incoming email
[ ] Convert mailbox to a shared mailbox accessible by: ___________________
Out-of-office message text (if requested):
FILE / DATA PRESERVATION — REQUIRED
Do they have files on OneDrive, SharePoint, or shared drives that need to be preserved?
[ ] Yes — transfer ownership of OneDrive files to: ___________________
[ ] Yes — preserve mailbox as archive for: [ ] 30 days [ ] 90 days [ ] 1 year [ ] Indefinitely
[ ] No — files can be deleted with the account
[ ] Unknown — please review and advise
HARDWARE RETRIEVAL — REQUIRED
Has all company-issued hardware been retrieved from the user?
[ ] Laptop / desktop — retrieved [ ] Yes [ ] No — Asset tag:
[ ] Company cell phone — retrieved [ ] Yes [ ] No — Phone number:
[ ] Key fobs / access cards — retrieved [ ] Yes [ ] No
[ ] Other equipment (headset, tablet, etc.):
If hardware has NOT been retrieved, please coordinate retrieval before the deactivation date.
SYSTEM-SPECIFIC ACCESS TO REMOVE
[ ] OPERA Cloud account (specify property):
[ ] Squirrel POS user account (specify venue):
[ ] Optimum Control
[ ] Adobe Acrobat license (release for reassignment)
[ ] FortiClient VPN
[ ] Other (list):
DISTRIBUTION LISTS / SHARED MAILBOXES
List any distribution lists, shared mailboxes, or group memberships the user should be removed from:
ADDITIONAL NOTES
(Anything sensitive, special handling needed, legal hold, ongoing investigations, etc.)
APPROVAL
Approved by (manager or HR):
Why Each Decision Matters
Effective date. We deactivate the account at this time and date — not before, not after. Premature deactivation locks out a user who's still working their notice period; late deactivation creates a security risk.
Email forwarding. Once an account is fully deleted, incoming email bounces. Critical client / vendor / partner communications can be lost forever if forwarding isn't set up before deactivation. The default best practice is 60–90 days forwarding to the user's manager or replacement.
File preservation. OneDrive files belong to the user — once the account is deleted (typically 30 days after deactivation), the files go with it. If the departing user has any documents the business needs, ownership must be transferred BEFORE deletion. Same for mailbox archives — once deleted, gone permanently.
Hardware retrieval. Outstanding hardware represents a security risk. A retained company laptop with cached corporate credentials, or a cell phone with active Microsoft Authenticator, allows the former employee to potentially access systems even after their account is deactivated. Always retrieve hardware before the effective date.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- "Deactivate immediately" — usually you mean "deactivate at end of business today" or similar. Specify a time so we don't lock the user out mid-shift.
- Forgetting the Microsoft Authenticator on their personal phone — if the user used their personal phone for MFA, ensure the corporate authentication profile is removed from it before they leave the property.
- Submitting without HR confirmation on terminations — terminations are sensitive and require coordination. Please loop in HR before submitting an IT ticket for an involuntary departure.
- No file preservation decision — when in doubt, default to preserving the mailbox and OneDrive for 90 days. Better to keep something briefly than to lose business data permanently.
- Submitting same-day for someone leaving today — please give us at least a few hours notice when possible. Last-minute deactivations are doable but mistakes happen under time pressure.
What Happens Next
- Your ticket is received and reviewed. If any required info is missing, we'll reply asking for it.
- On the effective date and time:
- User is signed out of all Microsoft 365 sessions
- Account is disabled in on-prem Active Directory
- Email forwarding is configured (if requested)
- Out-of-office is set (if requested)
- Within 7 days: license is released, the user is removed from distribution lists and shared mailboxes.
- Within 30 days: account is moved to a "pending deletion" state.
- Files are preserved per your instructions; ownership is transferred where specified.
- Hardware is processed for return-to-stock, redeployment, or secure disposal.
- Final deletion of the account occurs per the file preservation schedule above.
Related Articles
- New User Onboarding Request — What to Include
- How to Request File or Folder Access
- Mailbox and OneDrive Data Preservation — Argus Policy
KB-30002 | Created: May 20, 2026