Okta Identity Management: The Secret to Self-Service IT at Workday

Self-service triggers images of vending machines, gas stations or those new check-out kiosks in the supermarket. But what if I told you self-service could be about putting the power in the hands of the user, and driving efficiency. I’m talking about self-service IT – giving users the tools they need to help themselves, and get their job done without asking for help. Workday, a provider of user-friendly (and cloud-based) finance and HR apps, wants to do just that. Workday has been thinking about simplifying the way people do work since day one and early on they realised they needed an identity management solution to streamline their identity and password management processes. We sat down with Craig Butler, VP of information and systems, to find out how Okta’s identity management service allows users to be self-sufficient while letting IT be blissfully productive.

How did Workday’s culture necessitate an identity management tool?

We have a very entrepreneurial and tech-savvy culture. This means that our business is moving faster and faster. Our users demand self-service options, which means they’re not looking to come to IT when they need help. They’re actually looking to help themselves. It also means they’re looking for a consistent experience across all of their devices, regardless of if they’re in the office, at home or on the road.

In addition to providing users a consistent experience across devices and locations, how does Okta help your IT department?

With the implementation of Okta, what we’ve ultimately been able to do is to liberate IT from helping reset passwords, provide login instructions and do application administration. [Now they can] focus on higher value activities, such as building strategies for getting to the cloud, for helping the business become more productive on their daily challenges and giving us the ability to instead of being reactive, be proactive and help the business achieve their strategies.

How does Okta help to provide a user-centric experience for Workday employees?

From the original implementation to ongoing support, Okta has provided best practices and helped us create a roadmap for the ultimate single sign-on and identity management across all of our applications. Okta understands the challenge of a fast-growing, cloud-centric, technology-focused business. With this understanding, they’ve been able to provide a service which focuses on the user experience, the right level of security, and providing IT the tools necessary to enable the end-users to focus on their key priorities, which for us is our products and our customers.

To see Craig’s entire interview, watch the testimonial video.