Digital offboarding is the part of an employee's exit that nobody sees: closing their email, their access to every platform, the apps they authorized with their account, the shared passwords they knew and the subscriptions they paid for. This list covers the 18 things to close, who does each one and when, and which ones can run on their own.
Updated on October 11, 2026 · 10 min read · Mekovault
Check what applies to your company. “Automatic” means a tool can do it without anyone opening a console; “guided” means someone has to do it, but they can receive the task with a due date and a record of completion.
Of the 18 items, Mekovault runs the “automatic” ones on its own in Google Workspace and the connected platforms, and turns the “guided” ones into tasks with an owner, a due date and a record. The offboarding is requested by People or arrives from payroll (ADP, Gusto, Rippling, BambooHR), is scheduled for the last day and runs by itself; the manager decides by email what happens to files and mail; authorized apps are revoked; deletion is scheduled 30 days out with the option to undo; and everything stays in the audit log for 365 days. If you want the printable list, it is at the end of the 21 questions to ask before you buy.
Termination is the HR and legal side: the notice, the final paycheck, returning equipment. Offboarding is the whole exit process, and digital offboarding is the part about accounts, access and subscriptions. In most companies the HR side gets done right and the digital side gets done halfway.
Whoever knows the person is leaving: People or HR. IT runs it if there is an IT team; the direct manager decides what happens to the files and email. The mistake is spreading the responsibility around so that nobody closes the loop.
Published studies report that about a third of former employees still have access to files from a previous employer, and that access lasts weeks or months. The number that matters is your company's: check your suspended accounts and authorized apps this month.