Agency operations
Agency Client Access Handover: Separate Ownership From Day-to-day Access
An agency handover should make ownership and operational access understandable without distributing shared passwords. Use this matrix for websites and connected services, adapting it to the real contract and permission model.
Copy the ownership and access matrix
For each system record: service | legal/account owner as confirmed by the parties | everyday operator | change approver | billing contact | recovery route | review/end condition.
- Domain: identify the registered owner and who can authorise DNS changes.
- Website CMS: identify content approvers, editors and technical administrators separately.
- Hosting: name the responsible provider and the customer’s agreed support route.
- Analytics or marketing service: identify the account and who can view, change or export data.
- Customer platform: identify organisation/workspace scope and the actual commercial/access conditions.
Use account references, not secrets. A recovery route should describe the authorised process rather than expose recovery codes.
A fictional division of responsibilities
The client owns the domain account; an agency handles content changes. The client’s marketing lead approves public copy. A named technical administrator performs approved DNS changes. A freelance writer receives only the access needed for the writing task.
The writer’s presence does not justify domain administration, general data exports or access to every hosted website. Confirm the scope with actual allowed/denied checks, not just a role label.
Hand over with evidence
Ask the receiving person to confirm access through their own account and locate the relevant support route. Record invitations that remain pending separately from usable access.
In Umbraco, backoffice user groups and start nodes are CMS access controls; connected applications can have their own boundaries. Do not assume being a CMS editor proves membership or permissions in another service.
Plan the end of agency work
Record who transfers responsibilities, removes unnecessary access and confirms continuity when an engagement ends. Preserve customer work and authorised recovery information through the agreed process.
Resolve ownership disputes from the actual agreements and account evidence, not this generic matrix. This is an operating handover resource, not permission to change a registrant, grant wider access or bypass a platform security boundary.
Continue with a related resource
Use the example with your own facts, assign an owner and review the result before relying on it. These resources are available without creating an account.
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