What Are The Essential Cloud-Based Tools in the Enterprise?
Everyone has tools they can’t live or work without. For math teachers, it’s multiplication tables; for radiologists, it’s x-rays; for me, it’s my morning coffee. But what about for CIOs and IT directors? To find out, we asked our customers and partners which cloud tools (besides Okta) they couldn’t live without for the second installment of “The Okta Thought Cloud.”
For Chris Thibault, lead systems engineer at First American Equipment Finance, the answer was simple: Salesforce.com. “We have customized and built applications into the Force.com platform,” Chris explained. “The entire environment makes our organization successful and is critical to our business."
Chris also cited cloud-based apps that help the technology leasing and financial services provider’s employees access work remotely, such as Box and Office365. As companies like First American Equipment Finance continue to embrace the growth of mobile, this list of cloud apps will only grow.
Daniel O’Leary, a solutions architect at Box, uses cloud apps for mobile, easy-to-use project management. His tool of choice is Clarizen. “While project and portfolio management software is about as sexy an all-expenses-paid vacation to Fresno, it helps me stay sane while managing hundreds of complex implementations and projects,” Daniel said.
Cloud-based tools even help keep Nathan McBride, the VP of IT at AMAG Pharmaceuticals, sane. After eliminating its data center in 2008, AMAG started encouraging employees to adopt cloud applications as they see fit. Nathan and his team brought on apps such as Google Apps, Smartsheet, Echosign, Trello, Join.Me and more. He hasn’t looked back. As Nathan has told us before, “Disruptive technologies are fast becoming the norm, and AMAG practices the disruptive model in all aspects of what we do. The ultimate goal for us — to give employees the best tools to do the best work from anywhere at any time — is something we strive towards constantly.”
Want to participate in our next Thought Cloud? Then let us know: Do you think CIOs should be heavily involved in hiring IT talent? Why or why not? Email thoughtcloud(at)okta(dot)com to share your thoughts.