In today’s IT landscape, automation enables efficiency, security, scalability, and cost savings. Yet for many IT professionals, demonstrating the tangible business value of automation can be challenging.

Pablo Valarezo, an IT director at NFI, a leading supply chain and logistics company, understands this struggle firsthand. Managing the Identity-related IT tasks needed for a company of over 18,000 employees is no small undertaking.

At his previous company, Valarezo started automating Identity tasks in Okta using Python scripts and the Okta API. When he learned that Okta had launched Okta Workflows — a no-code Identity automation solution designed to orchestrate complex Identity processes, he began experimenting with it.

When Valarezo joined NFI, also an Okta and Okta Workflows customer, he continued studying Workflows. Drawn to its intuitive interface, if-this-then-that logic, and scalability, he found its time savings over scripted automation especially compelling and quickly began building workflows for many of the same processes he had previously scripted.

However, to showcase the true impact of his automation efforts, Valarezo realized he needed a different approach that would resonate with leadership. He knew that highlighting Okta Workflows’ technical strengths wouldn’t resonate with executives who prioritize business value.

Translating technical efficiency into business impact

Valarezo’s leadership team wanted to understand the value of the IT processes he had been automating and the business justification for upgrading to a higher-tier subscription. 

To provide a compelling answer, he calculated the time savings generated by Okta Workflows across multiple processes — ranging from simple tasks to more complex automation. His findings were staggering.

Nearly two years of work time saved: A conservative estimate

Automating traditionally manual processes gave Valarezo a compelling and quantifiable metric to present to leadership. Taking a conservative estimate over a one-year period, he calculated that Okta Workflows automated IAM tasks that would have otherwise required nearly two person-years to complete.

For example, Valarezo and his team reduced tasks that had previously taken 20 minutes to just two or three minutes each. Many of these time-consuming processes involved providing Identity and access to new employees and contractors and processing leaves of absence. 

Additionally, assigning, tracking, and processing whether employees had completed security training — tasks involving multiple phases and thousands of executions — became structured and repeatable workflows that could be executed quarterly. 

By automating many repetitive tasks, service desk employees could efficiently monitor and manage them, freeing senior engineers to focus on more technical and strategic initiatives.

Key wins from automating with Okta Workflows

Valarezo found that his automation efforts with Okta Workflows served the following practices well.

• HR-driven provisioning at scale: Automating new account creation — previously a 20-minute manual process—helped streamline onboarding for about 300 new employees in 30 days. Without Workflows and the ability to catch and fix conflicts during Identity creation, such as duplicate usernames or emails, this process would have significantly drained IT time and resources. 
• “Shift-left” strategy for IT operations: Pablo’s team strategically transferred tasks to service desk employees without compromising security. By locking down automation and delegating controlled actions to the service desk while maintaining oversight, they improved efficiency while safeguarding critical IT operations.
• Security and compliance gains: Workflows saved time and ensured that Identity management processes followed secure, repeatable, and auditable procedures.

Advice for new users: Where to start?

For organizations new to Okta Workflows, Pablo suggests the following:

• Diagram the processes 
  • Before building a Workflow, map out the logic for the processes you want to automate using tools like Lucidchart. 
  • When diagramming, consider how you want to track and report on automation performance. 
  • As shown in the figure below, one approach is to incorporate a reporting component, such as the Capture Workflow Event - Helper Flow (in blue). This Helper flow can be configured to store Workflow run data in a spreadsheet and be called for reporting purposes. 
  • Existing or newly created workflows can be set up to call the reporting Helper flow as needed. 
• Understand the mechanics – Learn how Workflow cards function and iterate on small tasks before tackling complex automations.
• Leverage the Workflows Slack Community – With over 2,100 members, the Mac Admins Slack Workflows community (#okta-workflows channel) is an invaluable resource for learning and collaboration.
• Leverage the Workflows Community Forum - Ask questions and post flow templates on the Workflows community forum. 
• Speak in Business Terms – IT professionals often get caught up in the technical details. Leadership cares about cost savings, security improvements, and operational efficiency. Translating automation into time and money saved makes a stronger case.

The figure below illustrates an example of mapping a Workflow, including integrating a reporting component to track automation performance. 
 

Measuring and communicating value

Valarezo is working toward a more structured way to report on the return on investment gained through automation. His team is creating a Power BI dashboard that will quantify Workflows’ impact in business terms — so IT teams can get the visibility they need to be recognized for the time and money they save.

Before setting up the Helper flow, a spreadsheet like the one shown below should be created so the columns are defined and available to the Create Row card. Once data is collected, formulas and pivot tables can analyze and report the value realized. 

This foundational design can be further enhanced to provide deeper insights into the impact of automation.
 

Note: The spreadsheet below is for illustrative purposes only and does not reflect the actual work and cost savings achieved by NFI.

Advice to fellow IT leaders

“Put your tech hat aside and speak in the language of your boss.” 

If your automation efforts save hours of work or reduce security risks, tie those wins to financial outcomes. That’s how IT gets a seat at the business strategy table. With workforce reductions and increased pressure to do more with less, automation isn't just a nice-to-have — it's essential. Having securely built and repeatable processes that nearly anyone can run is critical. Valarezo’s journey with Okta Workflows is a testament to how automation can drive IT and business success.

Want to hear more from Pablo Valarezo?

Register for Calculate the value of Okta Workflows Identity automation online meetup on March 20, 2025, at 9 a.m. PST, where Pablo Valarezo will discuss his experience with Okta’s own Max Katz and share insights on maximizing the value of Okta Workflows.

Interested in becoming a power user?

Consider taking the Okta Certified Workflows — Specialty Certification Exam.