You automate device ordering from your HR system by letting an event in the HR tool, such as "hire" or "termination", trigger an order with the device supplier directly.
Personio, Workday and SAP SuccessFactors can send such events to other systems. A device as a service provider like Everphone accepts them through an API and ships the devices.
The HR system is the first to know that someone is starting. Yet in many companies, that information reaches IT by email first and the supplier by web form after that.
Our view: if you don't have an ITSM (IT service management) tool like ServiceNow, the HR system is the best trigger for device orders. How the process looks from the perspective of HR and IT is covered in our article on automated device provisioning in onboarding. This article is about the technology behind it: which systems report what, and how the message reaches the supplier.
Which HR events should trigger a device order
Four events cover most device processes: hire, role change and termination. Sometimes the cost centre changes too.
Each event corresponds to one order with the supplier.
| Event in the HR system | Order with the supplier | Key data |
|---|---|---|
| Hire (contract signed) | Order a device package | Role, start date, delivery address |
| Role change | Swap or add a device | Old and new role |
| Termination | Start the return | Last working day, pick-up address |
| Cost centre change | Rebook the device | New cost centre |
Timing matters more than technology. Trigger the order as soon as the contract is signed, not on the start date. Otherwise the laptop arrives too late, no matter how fast the interface is.
Personio provides suitable events for this. The webhooks of its API v2 include, for example …
- employment.created,
- employment.started,
- employment.terminated.
- Role changes can be detected through employment.updated.
- Cost centre changes can be detected through employment.updated.cost-centers.
Since device provisioning needs some lead time (two weeks, for example), it should be tied to employment.created ("started" would be too late). Workflows can also be triggered relative to the start date.
Which HR systems can connect to a device API
In principle, any HR system that can send events to other systems or be queried through an API will do. That covers practically all common cloud solutions. They differ in how much work the connection takes.
Personio
Personio sends webhooks as a POST request to an HTTPS address you define. The receiving end must respond within three seconds. That is why you need a small receiver that accepts the message and then builds the order in its own time.
The webhook contains only the person's ID. The receiver then fetches role and start date from Personio through the API. That is one extra step, but it keeps the transmitted data small.
Workday
Workday has no generic REST webhook model like Personio. Instead, it offers outbound notifications tied to business processes such as "Hire" or "Termination". In addition there are reports as web services and integration tools such as EIB or Workday Studio. The Workday connection is usually built by the team that looks after Workday anyway.
SAP SuccessFactors
In SuccessFactors, the Intelligent Services Center triggers events such as "Employee Hire". In the Integration Center, you create an integration that sends the data as JSON through REST to a target system. This often runs through SAP Integration Suite as an intermediate step.
Other HR systems
If your HR system can't send events, a script polls it regularly, for example once an hour. For device orders with two weeks of lead time, that is fast enough.
Three ways from the HR system to the device order
There are three typical connections between the HR system and the device supplier. Which one fits depends on which systems you already run.
Way 1: direct. The HR system sends the event to a receiver, such as an integration tool like Make, n8n or Azure Logic Apps. The receiver maps the role to a device package and sends the order to the Everphone API.
Way 2: through the ITSM. The HR event creates an onboarding ticket, and the ticket triggers the order. This pays off if you already use ServiceNow or another ITSM. Details are in our article on the laptop ordering API.
Way 3: through identity management. Many companies already sync HR data to Microsoft Entra ID, and ready-made connectors exist for Workday and SuccessFactors. An Entra lifecycle workflow starts on the start date and can also trigger the device order through a Logic App.
| Direct | Through ITSM | Through Entra ID | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fits if … | you have no ITSM | onboardings run as tickets | HR data already lands in Entra ID |
| Additional building blocks | Integration tool | ITSM workflow | Lifecycle workflows, Logic App |
| Status visible in | Everphone portal | Ticket and portal | Entra log and portal |
| Effort | low to medium | medium | medium, licence required |
There is also a lean variant without package logic. The HR system creates new employees at Everphone through the API. They receive a login link by email and choose their device themselves in the Everphone portal. Portal and API work on the same data.
Which data the HR system must pass on
An order needs only a few fields. Everything else stays in the HR system, and that is how it should be.
- Name and work email address
- Role or device package
- Start date
- Cost centre
- Delivery address, if the device goes to the employee's home
Salary, date of birth or contract details have no place in a device order. The GDPR requires data minimisation: only what is necessary for the purpose is transferred. Also sign a data processing agreement with the supplier before the first private address is sent.
The private address is the most sensitive point. Only send it if the device really goes there. Alternatively, the new employee enters their preferred address in the Everphone portal themselves.
Typical mistakes when connecting an HR system
Most problems arise in the mapping, not in the transfer.
Too many device packages. If you map every job title individually, you soon maintain 60 rules. Map departments or job families to one of four or five packages instead.
Duplicate orders. A record is often changed several times, and every change sends an event. Use the personnel number as a reference. If an order already exists for it, no second one is created.
A trigger that fires too early. In some systems, the record exists before the contract is signed. Check the status before the order goes out. Otherwise a laptop ends up with someone who turned the job down.
Only the hire is connected. Then the mapping is right on day one but not at termination. Build the return in from the start.
Who benefits from connecting the HR system
Connect the HR system if you hire regularly and have no ITSM that maps onboardings as tickets. That applies to many companies using Personio.
If you have ServiceNow or a similar system, take the route through the ticket. Approvals and other onboarding tasks come together there anyway. Our article on integrating Everphone with ServiceNow shows what that looks like.
If you only hire a few people a year, a connection isn't worth it. Then you order in the Everphone portal with saved packages and get the same preconfigured devices.
What matters is what happens behind the order. With Everphone, devices arrive preconfigured, and the API costs nothing extra. Defective devices are replaced, returned devices are wiped with certification.
Everphone actively supports the HR integration, so that access credentials, documentation and data preparation are right from the start.
Frequently asked questions
Can Personio trigger orders for company laptops automatically?
Yes. Personio reports events such as a new employment contract through a webhook to an HTTPS address. An integration tool accepts the message, fetches role and start date from Personio and sends the order to the supplier through the API.
Do I need an ITSM system to order devices from the HR tool?
No. The HR system can talk directly to the supplier's API through an integration tool. An ITSM only makes sense as an intermediate step if your onboardings already run as tickets.
What happens on a role change?
The HR system reports the change, and the integration checks whether the new role has a different device package. If so, it triggers a swap or an addition. Without this rule, the sales manager keeps working on the laptop from her time in support.
What does it cost to connect the HR system to Everphone?
The Everphone API costs nothing extra. Effort arises on your side for the integration tool and the setup, depending on which of the three ways you choose.