Softchoice: Expanding into the Cloud with Okta

Softchoice believes in the power of people and the potential of technology — how could they not? The company started in 1989 and continues to help organizations use technology to become more productive, competitive and successful. We jumped at the chance to speak with Francis Li, vice president of IT at Softchoice, about how the company has been changing with the times.

What inspired you to explore the cloud?

We ran an assessment on how many cloud-based services Softchoice employees were actually consuming, and the results of that were very eye-opening. We found that there were probably upwards of 20 or 30 cloud-based solutions of which we had very little visibility to. I would say that it was an “Ah-ha!” moment for us, realizing that we really needed to embrace this technology.

Why did you choose Okta?

From a business development perspective, we viewed the partnership as a very key plank of our cloud-based strategy with our end user customers. We also liked how easy it was to work with the Okta team. We were able to move some of our core legacy applications onto the Okta portal. The team was very easy to work with, even in uncharted waters, so that was a key enabler in our choice.

What’s on the horizon for Softchoice?

We want to get out of the business of provisioning devices and of imaging PCs, and we plan on enabling and fully embracing bring-your-own-technology here at Softchoice. Okta is a key part of that strategy.

To hear our full interview with Francis, watch Softchoice’s customer testimonial video below or on our web site.