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Bitwarden Onboarding Playbook
This playbook provides IT administrators with a flexible roadmap for onboarding users to Bitwarden Password Manager across five key phases. While the phases are presented in sequence, they're not strictly linear. Many steps can happen in parallel based on your team's needs and timeline.
Throughout this guide, you'll find action items in code boxes that can be copied and pasted directly into your project management tools, internal documentation, or team communication platforms. This makes it easy to track progress, assign tasks, and maintain accountability during your Bitwarden rollout. Use this guide as a foundation and adapt it to fit your environment.
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Phase 1 focuses on educating stakeholders, preparing systems, and establishing the knowledge base for successful setup. Bitwarden recommends scheduling training sessions for each group or team before or during rollout.
Key personnel: IT directors, system admins, owners
Training topics:
Bitwarden architecture and enterprise features
Scalable sharing capabilities
Collection setup; organize and group related credentials, secrets, or other vault items
Adding a user to the Bitwarden organization
Assigning appropriate permissions to members or groups for each collection
Assigning certain items to multiple collections so the right people can access without duplication
Setup and Policies
SSO setup and integration workflows
Two-factor authentication setup and policies
Security policies and enterprise controls
Management and reporting
Custom fields and roles management
User and group management best practices
Event logging and reporting capabilities
Copy and paste this list directly into your project management tools, internal documentation, or team communication platforms to easily track progress, assign tasks, and maintain accountability:
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[ ] Schedule administrator training sessions
[ ] Review enterprise feature requirements
[ ] Document SSO integration requirements
[ ] Plan custom roles and permission structures
[ ] Establish security policy framework
[ ] Document cyber insurance compliance requirement
[ ] Prepare business case including insurance premium impact
[ ] Align rollout timeline with insurance renewal dates
Step 2: Service desk training
Key personnel: Help desk staff, customer success leads
Training topics:
Common user issues and troubleshooting
Password reset procedures and limitations
Account recovery processes
Escalation procedures for complex issues
Copy and paste this list directly into your project management tools, internal documentation, or team communication platforms to easily track progress, assign tasks, and maintain accountability:
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[ ] Train support staff on Bitwarden functionality
[ ] Create troubleshooting documentation
[ ] Establish support ticket workflows
[ ] Define escalation procedures
Step 3: End user training
Note: For many customers, end user training comes right before or during rollout, as each department is onboarded. Bitwarden recommends prioritizing admin training first.
Key personnel: All end users across the company
Training topics:
Password import processes and best practices if applicable
Copy and paste this list directly into your project management tools, internal documentation, or team communication platforms to easily track progress, assign tasks, and maintain accountability:
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[ ] Schedule organization-wide training sessions by functions; recommend starting with more technical teams (ie. tech team, data team)
[ ] Create user documentation and quick reference guides. Leverage resources available in the Bitwarden help center
[ ] Prepare import templates and migration tools
[ ] Establish help desk support procedures
Step 4: Leadership training
Key personnel: Department leads, executive leadership
Training topics:
Why Bitwarden is important for securing the organization
Password import processes and best practices if applicable
Identify at-risk passwords with Vault Health reports
Copy and paste this list directly into your project management tools, internal documentation, or team communication platforms to easily track progress, assign tasks, and maintain accountability:
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[ ] Get leadership buy-in and identify advocates. Bitwarden research shows that company-wide password management mandates more than doubles regular usage.
[ ] Train leadership on importance of using a password manager
[ ] Show leadership how easy it is to use
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Phase 2 is the technical setup phase where Bitwarden is deployed and configured for your organization.
Bitwarden hosted is recommended for most organizations. Enjoy easy scalability, automatic updates, and minimal maintenance on secure, reliable servers managed by Bitwarden.
Step 1: Pre-setup planning
Before diving into the technical setup, it's important to establish your organizational strategy and approach. Below are key recommendations to consider.
Choose between US or EU cloud server regions
Organizations must choose between US or EU cloud server regions based on data residency requirements. Bitwarden cannot migrate accounts from one region to another for customers. A script is available for organizations to help facilitate migrations. Subscriptions can be transferred from one region to another region by contacting support.
Set the foundation for centralized ownership and visibility
Gain organization-wide visibility into credential health and usage with centralized reporting.
Ensure seamless employee transitions by securely reassigning or deleting credentials without disruption.
Enforce least privilege by assigning roles, segmenting credentials into collections by department or function, granting users and groups access only to the collections they need.
Reinforce good password practices and begin bringing visibility into the credential lifecycle - creation, access, transfer, and deletion - with enterprise policies.
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Plan ahead
Bitwarden will soon enable organizations to automatically align all employee credentials under the organization vault, ensuring consistent ownership and control.
Once available, enable the Enforce organization data ownership policy so all items are organization-owned, enabling centralized control, reporting, credential health insights, and streamlined onboarding.
Users will still have a space for their work credentials in My items.
Share and manage items via Collections owned by the organization.
Bitwarden recommends SSO with trusted devices
For the best user experience, Bitwarden recommends SSO with trusted devices. This allows employees to log in and decrypt their vaults in a single step, though it requires additional IT admin setup time. Here are items to consider with this approach:
Enforce a vault timeout policy of "Log out" which provides one consistent user experience: after timeout, employees simply re-authenticate via SSO with no master password required.
In trusted devices environments, “Unlock” behaves as “Log out” unless users configure PIN or biometrics
If your organization actively promotes PIN or biometrics, admins may choose “Unlock” but only if user communications make that expectation clear.
Vault timeout: Bitwarden recommends between 4-10 hours for most use cases to balance productivity and security.
Copy and paste this list directly into your project management tools, internal documentation, or team communication platforms to easily track progress, assign tasks, and maintain accountability:
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[ ] Determine cloud server region (US, EU)
[ ] Determine overall organizational data ownership
[ ] Choose authentication and decryption strategy
[ ] Define user onboarding and deprovisioning approach
[ ] Manual invitation
[ ] Bitwarden Directory Connector
[ ] SCIM
[ ] Just-in-Time SSO
[ ] Define vault ownership strategy (Individual vaults vs. Organization-only)
[ ] Identify user groups for rollout phases
[ ] Stakeholder selections:
[ ] Project lead
[ ] Identity provider admin
[ ] Executive sponsor
[ ] Security and compliance admin
[ ] Support/help desk admin
[ ] Device management admin (for client deployment)
[ ] Business continuity admin
[ ] Directory/user management admin
Step 2: Organization creation
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[ ] Create new Bitwarden organization account
[ ] Select appropriate enterprise plan
[ ] Configure billing and payment methods
Step 3: Core setup
Follow the recommendations below to ensure a smooth Bitwarden setup.
Claim all corporate email domains
To restrict certain user actions, grant administrators greater control, and simplify the login experience for your users.
Set up enterprise policies before user onboarding
Set up all enterprise policies before user onboarding begins to ensure consistent security controls from day one.
Establish strong security baselines
With minimum 14-16 character master passwords (including uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols) and password generator minimums of at least 14 characters with symbols and numbers.
Enable single organization restriction
To prevent users from joining other Bitwarden organizations, maintain data governance and prevent potential data leaks.
Set up your organization vault
If you already use groups and objects in your IdP or Directory, mirror that framework in Bitwarden for consistency. Folder-like objects will automatically be converted to collections during import.
Remember: Bitwarden is different from traditional applications. For Bitwarden, everything is protected with end-to-end encryption, and access policies are enforced at the client level. That means:
Admins can define and assign access, but they can’t see the credentials themselves.
Collections and groups are the way Bitwarden enforces access while preserving zero-knowledge.
Some operations (syncing, policy checks, vault actions) require additional processing on the client side instead of being visible in plaintext to the server.
If starting from scratch:
Collections (what gets shared): Best practice is to organize Collections based on the function of the resources being shared (eg. shipping profiles, advertising platform logins) Keep collections broad at first; add granularity when necessary. Typically, IT admins manage org-wide collections, while team leads manage department-specific ones.
Groups (who gets access): Use Groups to represent departments or teams (eg. Marketing, Finance) and aligning them 1:1 with collections for clarity. Unique groups that span functions (executive assistants, IT admins, purchase approvers) are also common.
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Remember: The Bitwarden scalable sharing model means that items can live in multiple collections simultaneously, without compromising security. Teams can access credentials they need without unnecessary exposure to entire vaults
Copy and paste this list directly into your project management tools, internal documentation, or team communication platforms to easily track progress, assign tasks, and maintain accountability:
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[ ] Configure domain claiming
[ ] Set up enterprise policies for mandatory security controls
[ ] Set up password and password generator minimums
[ ] Organization data ownership enforcement to require all vault items in organization
[ ] Create organizational structure - collections, groups
[ ] Configure user roles and permissions
Step 4: Integration setup
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SSO integration (if applicable):
[ ] Configure SAML 2.0 or OIDC with identity provider
[ ] Test SSO login workflows
[ ] Configure trusted devices (if applicable)
[ ] Document SSO troubleshooting procedures
Directory Integration (if applicable):
[ ] Install and configure Directory Connector
[ ] Set up SCIM provisioning (Azure AD, Okta, OneLogin, JumpCloud)
[ ] Test user and group synchronization
[ ] Schedule automated sync intervals
Step 5: Security controls
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[ ] Set up event logging and SIEM integration
[ ] Establish backup and recovery procedures
Running Bitwarden on your own servers requires advanced technical knowledge and IT infrastructure. It also means that you are responsible for server maintenance, security, uptime, and updates.
To assess whether self host is right for you:
Do you already have anything else self-hosted?
Do you have dedicated hardware to run the server?
Is there an IT or DevOps team that will be responsible for the server?
Are you familiar with Docker, or Kubernetes and Helm charts?
If you decide to self-host Bitwarden, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Pre-setup planning
Copy and paste this list directly into your project management tools, internal documentation, or team communication platforms to easily track progress, assign tasks, and maintain accountability:
Set up a dedicated environment for your Bitwarden server. Requirements vary depending on your operating system. See Help center for detailed instructions.
Copy and paste this list directly into your project management tools, internal documentation, or team communication platforms to easily track progress, assign tasks, and maintain accountability:
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[ ] Provision hardware that meets minimum requirements
[ ] Configure DNS records and domain name
[ ] Open ports 80 and 443
[ ] Install server offerings and containerization tools
[ ] Obtain installation ID and key from Bitwarden
[ ] Secure SSL certificates
Step 3: Bitwarden server installation
Install Bitwarden in your prepared environment. The exact steps differ depending on the operating system.
Step 4: Organization setup
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[ ] Create cloud organization for billing purposes
[ ] Link self-hosted installation to billing organization
[ ] Configure enterprise settings and policies
[ ] Set up collections and groups structure
[ ] Test all integrations (SSO, SCIM)
Step 5: Maintenance planning
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[ ] Create server update and maintenance schedule
[ ] Implement automated backup system
[ ] Set up off-site backup storage
[ ] Test disaster recovery procedures
[ ] Document maintenance and backup/recovery procedures
[ ] Set up monitoring and alerting for backup failures; evaluate backup methods
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Phase 3 focuses on organizational readiness and communication before user onboarding begins. This phase ensures smooth user adoption by setting proper expectations, addressing concerns, and creating organizational momentum for the change.
Step 1: Prepare company-wide communication from leadership
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Leadership is critical to adoption success. Bitwarden research shows that company-wide password management mandates more than doubles regular usage.
Key Personnel: Executive leadership, IT leadership, communications team, department leads
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[ ] Prepare leadership talking points about security benefits
[ ] Schedule leadership communication sessions (all-hands, team meetings)
[ ] CEO/Leadership announcement about password security initiative
[ ] Clear messaging about why Bitwarden was chosen
[ ] Timeline communication for rollout phases
[ ] Expectation setting for mandatory adoption
[ ] Emphasis on security benefits for both work and personal use
[ ] Highlight cyberinsurance benefits and that implementing Bitwarden is a prerequisite to get approved for higher level of coverage; document insurance coverage being met
Step 2: Organizational communication campaign
Key personnel: Communications team, HR, IT support
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Communication strategy:
[ ] Develop multi-channel communication plan (email, intranet, meetings)
[ ] Create consistent messaging about security benefits
[ ] Address common concerns and objections proactively
[ ] Highlight ease of use and convenience benefits
[ ] Share success stories from pilot users or other organizations
Pre-rollout communications:
[ ] All hands meeting: Initial introduction to Bitwarden
[ ] Why we're implementing password management / Bitwarden
[ ] Security benefits for the organization and individuals
[ ] Why it is important to follow the directions shared by IT
[ ] Expect more details in your email inbox
[ ] Announcement email: More details on Bitwarden and roll out plan
[ ] Recap: Why we're implementing password management / Bitwarden
[ ] Recap: Security benefits for the organization and individuals
[ ] Timeline for rollout and training
[ ] What to expect in coming weeks
[ ] FAQ document: Address common questions and concerns
[ ] "Will this slow down my workflow?"
[ ] "What happens to my existing passwords?"
[ ] "Is my personal information secure?"
[ ] "What if I forget my master password?"
[ ] "Do I have to use this for personal passwords, too?"
Step 3: Change management readiness
Key personnel: HR, change management team, department managers
Change management activities:
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[ ] Identify and engage change champions in each department
[ ] Conduct department-specific communication sessions
[ ] Address cultural and workflow concerns
[ ] Plan for resistance management and additional support
[ ] Create peer support networks and feedback channels
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Phase 4 ensures Bitwarden is actively used with the introduction of users to Bitwarden, ensuring proper account setup and initial usage.
Reminder for admins that all Bitwarden onboarding process flow: Invite → Accept → Confirm
Option A: Phased rollout (recommended for most organizations)
Roll out in waves across teams and departments (eg.10% > 20% > 70%)
Ideal for larger organizations or those who want to reduce internal disruption
Easier to pace communications, training, prevent service desk overload, and allows admins to iterate and improve the process.
Option B: All at once (advanced)
Works well for smaller organizations or large organizations with strong IT and training resources
Best if you can coordinate communications and support for everyone at once
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Running a small pilot (20-100 users, depending on your organization size) can help validate rollout across all main use cases (desktop, mobile, browser, SSO, etc) This helps refine communications and creates internal champions.
Important note on the invitation and re-invitation process: Invite users after enterprise policies are configured and the core admin team has onboarded. This ensures new members are immediately subject to your organization’s security and usage standards.
Users automatically receive an email invitation when provisioned via SCIM or Directory Connector. For phased rollouts, coordinate with your IT or email team to filter (based on subject lines) specific onboarding emails at the mail gateway and send these emails when you’re ready for the next group to onboard. After a user accepts their invitation, an organization admin or owner must confirm their membership before vault access is granted. During rollout, admins should check the Members screen regularly (multiple times per day for larger orgs) to approve pending users. Confirmation can be automated with a script, but note that doing so reduces security visibility.
Invitations expire after 7 days. Users still showing as Invited after several days may need IT follow-up to ensure adoption. Admins can also trigger a Reinvite, which sends a fresh invitation email as a reminder to join the organization.
Copy and paste this list directly into your project management tools, internal documentation, or team communication platforms to easily track progress, assign tasks, and maintain accountability:
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[ ] Identify groups of users who will be onboarded first (usually more technical teams)
[ ] Follow a 10-20-70 rule for roll out (first 10% of users, then 20%, then 70%)
[ ] Document timeline for each roll out phase
Step 2: User account creation and access
Key personnel: All invited users, organization administrators
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User actions:
[ ] Accept organization invitation via email link
[ ] Log in with existing account or create new account using invited email
[ ] If applicable, create strong master password (14-16+ characters with mixed case, numbers, symbols)
Administrator actions:
[ ] Send organization invitations in planned waves (remember process flow: Invite → Accept → Confirm)
[ ] Distribute Bitwarden onboarding guides and/or customized onboarding guides and intranet knowledge base articles
[ ] Monitor invitation acceptance rates
[ ] Confirm user accounts after acceptance
[ ] Assign users to appropriate groups and collections
[ ] Verify SSO and authentication workflows
[ ] Configure MDM deployment if needed
Step 3: Client installation and setup
Key personnel: All users
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Installations:
[ ] Configure server URL if not using vault.bitwarden.com and confirm web vault access
[ ] Install browser extension and pin to toolbar
[ ] Install and configure web vault access
[ ] Download and install desktop application (Windows/macOS/Linux)
[ ] Download mobile apps (iOS/Android)
[ ] Log into all installed clients with master password and 2FA
Setup tasks:
[ ] Configure browser extension settings and permissions
[ ] Set up mobile autofill permissions
[ ] Configure biometric unlock (desktop/mobile, if available)
[ ] Test synchronization across all devices
Step 4: Vault setup and navigation
Key personnel: All users
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Navigation training:
[ ] Explore web vault interface and main navigation elements
[ ] Understand difference between My Vault (individual) and Organization Vault (shared)
[ ] Learn to use search functionality across vault items
[ ] Familiarize with item types (Logins, Notes, Cards, Identities)
Collection and organization understanding:
[ ] Understand Collections concept for shared items
[ ] Access items shared through collections
[ ] Learn about Groups and permission levels
[ ] Practice organizing items with folders
Step 5: Password management implementation
Key Personnel: All users
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Core functionality:
[ ] Practice manually adding new login items
[ ] Learn to edit existing vault items
[ ] Set up browser extension autofill and auto-save features
[ ] Practice different autofill experiences from browser extension
[ ] Use built-in password generator for creating strong passwords
Advanced features:
[ ] Explore Bitwarden Send for secure item sharing with individuals outside of your organization
[ ] Review password history for login items
[ ] Configure autofill options (inline vs context menu)
[ ] Set up TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) generation
[ ] Utilize clipboard history features
Step 6: Password migration and import
Key Personnel: All users, with IT support
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Migration process:
[ ] Export passwords from current password managers
[ ] Use Bitwarden import tools for bulk migration
[ ] Manually add critical passwords not captured in import
[ ] Verify all imported items are accessible and functional
[ ] Update weak or duplicate passwords using generator
Quality assurance:
[ ] Complete security audit of imported passwords using Bitwarden vault health reports
[ ] Identify and update weak passwords
[ ] Resolve duplicate entries
[ ] Verify critical business applications are included
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Phase 5 focuses on adoption, maximizing value, ensuring security compliance, and maintaining long-term success.
Key stakeholders: All users, organization administrators
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User verification:
[ ] Test login across all devices and browsers
[ ] Verify sharing and collaboration features work properly
[ ] Confirm understanding of organization's password policies
[ ] Validate emergency access and recovery procedures
[ ] Document personal backup and security measures
Administrative verification:
[ ] Monitor user adoption metrics through event logs
[ ] Verify policy compliance across the organization
[ ] Review and optimize collection and group structures
[ ] Analyze usage patterns and identify improvement opportunities
[ ] Deploy technical enforcements such as:
[ ] Turn off browser based password managers
[ ] Remove access to documents (google docs, excel, etc) where passwords were previously stored
Security review:
[ ] Complete comprehensive security audit using Bitwarden reports
[ ] Review exposed passwords and security breaches
[ ] Analyze password strength across the organization
[ ] Monitor 2FA adoption rates
[ ] Review and update security policies as needed
Compliance activities:
[ ] Document compliance with organizational security standards
[ ] Review event logs for suspicious activities
[ ] Validate backup and disaster recovery procedures
[ ] Ensure proper data retention and deletion policies
[ ] Conduct periodic security assessments
Step 3: Advanced feature implementation
Key stakeholders: Power users, organization administrators
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Advanced capabilities:
[ ] Implement custom fields for specialized data
[ ] Configure advanced sharing workflows
[ ] Utilize API integrations for business applications
[ ] Set up automated reporting and monitoring
[ ] Implement CLI tools for advanced users
Step 4: Ongoing support
Key stakeholders: IT support, organization administrators
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Support structure:
[ ] Establish regular support office hours
[ ] Create escalation procedures for complex issues
[ ] Maintain updated documentation and training materials
[ ] Monitor and respond to user feedback
[ ] Provide ongoing training for new features
Step 5: Continuous improvement
Key stakeholders: All users, organizational administrators
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Regular reviews:
[ ] Schedule quarterly security and usage reviews
[ ] Collect and analyze user feedback
[ ] Monitor industry best practices and updates
[ ] Review and update organizational policies
[ ] Plan for future enhancements and expansions
Success metrics:
[ ] User adoption and engagement rates
[ ] Indicators of vault usage such as stored credentials in organizational vaults
[ ] Regular usage of key features (autofill, password saving, password sharing)
[ ] Password security improvements
[ ] Reduction in security incidents
[ ] Time savings in credential management
[ ] Compliance with organizational security standards
Step 6: New employee onboarding
Key stakeholders: new employees, HR, organizational administrators
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[ ] Document Bitwarden best practices in onboarding resources or new hire checklist
[ ] Offer recurring Bitwarden trainings for new employees
[ ] Encourage new hires to ask for help from existing employees
Use these additional resources to help guide you through the phases during your Bitwarden journey:
[ ] 100% user adoption of all purchased Bitwarden seats
[ ] Complete password migration from legacy systems and other password managers
[ ] Security posture improvements (reduction of breaches, promotes safe password habits)
[ ] Reduce number of at-risk credentials (reused, exposed, weak) across the entire organization
[ ] Value achieved beyond password management (Bitwarden Send, storing sensitive information such as credit cards, identifies, notes, and more)
[ ] Internal champions excited to help others achieve password security success
[ ] Full integration with existing identity and security infrastructure
[ ] Established security policies and compliance procedures
[ ] Ongoing support and maintenance frameworks
[ ] Documented Bitwarden procedures for onboarding new employees
[ ] Optimized workflows for maximum efficiency and security
[ ] Regular monitoring and continuous improvement processes
Rollout email templates: Email templates to announce the Bitwarden Password Manager rollout to your end users, administrative users, and IT teams. Attach your branding to these emails and adapt them as needed.
Customer activation kit: Ready-made communication materials including one-pagers, training videos, posters, email templates, and promotional resources to support your rollout.
Slide deck announcement template: Slide deck template to the Bitwarden Password Manager to the whole company or organization. Attach your company branding and roll-out details as needed.