Quick answer: If two people use one SaaS login, move routine work to named user accounts where the product supports them. Keep a business-controlled owner, give each person the access needed for their job, turn on multifactor authentication where available, and document who can recover access. A shared password makes it harder to tell who changed a record or to remove one person’s access safely.
For: small teams replacing an informal shared login. This is an operating plan, not a claim that every SaaS product has the same roles or migration controls.
Choose the account model before inviting people
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Current situation | Safer operating choice | Limit to check |
|---|---|---|
| Owner and employee use one login | Business owner keeps owner access; employee gets a named role | Can the plan add a seat and limit permissions? |
| Agency needs to edit the business account | Invite the agency’s named account with the narrowest useful role | Who retains ownership when the contract ends? |
| Product has no multiuser access | Document the owner, restrict who uses it, and shortlist a supported team route | Do not pretend a second browser profile is a named account |
The exact role names vary. Google’s Business Profile guidance, for example, lets owners and managers use their own Google Accounts instead of sharing a password. Our WordPress role guide shows a different role model. Check the permissions in the product you actually use.
Move one workflow at a time
First list the work done through the shared login: editing, billing, exports, automations and customer communication. Name the business owner of the account and a second person who can handle absence. Check whether each person’s new role can complete the specific task; a login alone proves little.
Invite the first named user, have them complete one normal task and one recovery or handoff task, then review the audit or activity view if the product provides one. Move integrations and notification recipients deliberately. An automation tied to an employee’s personal login may stop when that person leaves; do not remove the old access until the replacement has been tested and important records are preserved.
Protect access without losing continuity
CISA recommends multifactor authentication for small and medium businesses. Set it up using the service’s supported method for each named account, and store recovery procedures where the business can find them. Do not put recovery codes into a shared document or send them by ordinary email.
Before changing or removing an old login, record who owns billing, the domain, connected apps, data exports and customer replies. Our SaaS offboarding guide covers the departure side, while the onboarding guide helps test whether a new colleague can do the work.
Example: the first week
Illustrative example: A two-person agency uses one scheduling-tool login. On Monday, the owner checks seat and role options. On Tuesday, the colleague receives a named role and books a test appointment. On Wednesday, the team checks notifications and calendar connections. On Thursday, the owner records billing and recovery ownership. Only after the replacement works does the team retire the shared route through the product’s normal controls. The sequence is a planning example, not a test we performed.
Next step: Pick the shared login attached to the most customer-facing work. List its owner, users, integrations and recovery route, then verify that the product supports the named-access model you need.
Google and CISA guidance checked October 2, 2026. Product permissions, seat limits and account recovery vary; check the current documentation for your service before changing access.
Useful detail: The shared login may also own an integration
Slack documents that deactivating a member can revoke tokens and deactivate apps that depend on that member’s permissions.
Before replacing a shared login, trace the automation that relies on it. Moving people to named accounts should not quietly remove the connection that delivers client alerts.
Try this:
- List installed integrations connected under the shared identity.
- Agree the appropriate authorized owner for each dependency.
- Test the supported transfer or reconnection path before ending the old account’s access.
Source: Slack: deactivated members and integrations. Checked October 3, 2026. The practical check is a PSL suggestion.
