Don’t Let Your IT Be Held Hostage by a Rogue Employee

The Situation

Dependence on a Single IT Administrator

Relying on a single person for full control of an organization’s IT environment creates major risks. In this case, a Northeast property management company depended on one in-house IT manager for all system administration, passwords, and hardware oversight. This individual even installed personal surveillance cameras in the server room to monitor access.

Leadership grew concerned that if they were terminated, they might refuse to provide access or disrupt operations. The company contacted ITonDemand for guidance on securing systems before taking action. Later that day, they proceeded with termination and issued a legal letter without first collecting credentials. This left them without documented passwords, network details, or administrative access to critical systems.

The Challenge

Locked Out of Critical Systems After Termination

When a sole IT administrator leaves suddenly, operations can grind to a halt. In this case, key credentials were only known to the former employee. That included the default administrative password for over 100 computers. Without them, the organization faced possible downtime across multiple systems, leaving both the company and clients at a standstill.

The legal notice also caused the employee to stop communicating, which made recovery especially urgent. Without fast action, they could have disrupted business operations and essential property management services. At that point, nobody knew if the former employee would cooperate or if further legal action would be needed.

The Solution

Rapid Remote Action and On-Site Support

Swift intervention was the only way to regain control before operations were impacted. ITonDemand started work right away, using limited access from another administrator to:

• Secure and deactivate the former employee’s accounts.
• Search the email account to find additional credentials.
• Install the ITonDemand remote management tool on all devices.
• Regain control of the main property management software.

The biggest challenge was the default administrative password for all workstations. Plans were ready to reset each device manually if needed. The former employee eventually provided the password, which avoided further difficulties. Within a week, ITonDemand flew in an on-site engineer to confirm access, secure any remaining systems, and help set up new access controls.

The Result

Restored Access With Stronger Protections

Fast recovery meant the organization could continue operating without major disruption. Within days, the team restored control of Active Directory, endpoint management, and core business software. ITonDemand moved credentials into a secure, centralized password vault and granted access to multiple authorized staff. These steps removed single points of failure and reduced the risk of insider threats.

Our Partner

About the Northeast Property Management Company

This property management company oversees multiple residential communities, managing operations, maintenance, and tenant services. Its technology supports everything from daily property management to financial operations and resident communications. Security and reliability are essential to keeping services uninterrupted.