\u201cIn 1958, corporations listed in the S&P 500 had an average stay of 61 years. By 1980, numbers from research firm Innosight reveal that the average stay had declined sharply to 25 years. In 2011, the average tenure dropped to 18 years. At the present rate of churn, Innosight\u2019s research estimates three-quarters of today\u2019s S&P 500 will be replaced by 2027.\u201d \u2013 <\/em>Harvard Business Review<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to remain as agile as possible, companies are constantly reevaluating processes, systems, and technology to ensure they are nimble in every way. When it comes to rethinking technology, many organizations have been taking advantage of cloud IT resources to increase their nimbleness, and now they\u2019re keen on moving their identity provider to the cloud as well. As IT admins research this possibility, many are wondering, \u201cHow can I increase agility with a cloud identity provider<\/a>?\u201d It\u2019s a smart question considering an identity provider plays a crucial role in an organization\u2019s ability to easily adapt to changes in the market. But before we present specifics, let\u2019s briefly cover some basics, like what is an identity provider and why it greatly impacts agility. Then we\u2019ll cover how a cloud identity provider increases agility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An identity provider (IdP) connects users to the digital tools they use everyday, like email, applications, internet, work systems, files, and more. Also known as a directory service or identity management solution, an IdP lays the groundwork for what IT resources you can use, how users go about accessing those resources everyday, and how much time IT admins have to devote to managing user access and the IdP itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many companies are interested in shifting their directory service to the cloud because traditional solutions, like Microsoft\u00ae Active Directory\u00ae<\/a>, come with a few constraints that greatly impact agility. First off, an on-prem directory service often requires on-prem hardware and software. Getting that hardware, maintaining it, and regularly upgrading it is an expensive time sink and not the easiest to scale. Second, legacy identity providers tend to be homogeneous, meaning they focus on supporting resources from one provider, platform, or protocol. This makes it difficult to adapt IT resources according to what the market demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A cloud identity provider like, JumpCloud\u00ae Directory-as-a-Service\u00ae<\/a>, is different in that it is completely cloud-based, and it doesn\u2019t really matter what computer operating system you like to use, or if your apps, file storage, and data centers are in the cloud or on-prem. A true cloud identity management solution simply cares about making work happen<\/a> for IT admins and end users by making it easy to use the digital tools that provide the most value for the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every year new technology emerges that can help your employees do their jobs better and faster. Consequently, \u201cbusinesses simply can\u2019t afford to move at a 1998 or 2008 pace in 2019\u201d (Reflektive). Part of moving at a 2019 pace requires adapting to the new technology that is available today because it\u2019s necessary to help your employees remain competitive in your market. As Reflektive\u2019s blog<\/a> put it, \u201cThere\u2019s a reason computers replaced typewriters, and email replaced paper mail and faxes.\u201d A cloud directory service\u2019s part in this is that its open and flexible nature empowers organizations with the choice to use the technology they need to stay current and on top of the latest breakthroughs in business processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, a prominent technology trend right now is intelligent automation. Intelligent automation software offers increases in efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and can help workers gain more time to focus on the work that furthers the company\u2019s mission. In fact, Grab<\/a> (Southeast Asia\u2019s leading online-to-offline platform) has been able to save 3,000 man hours<\/a> across their organization thanks to integrating intelligent automation solutions with their cloud directory service. New technology has the power to significantly impact your entire operation for the better, and a nimble cloud IdP will help you adjust your IT stack accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another way a cloud identity provider assists with agility is being serverless without any hardware required. To put this into perspective, a traditional on-prem directory service utilizes physical servers, load balancers, SQL server, Active Directory Federation Services and web proxies, DirSync, RADIUS and security infrastructure, and more<\/a>. Plus, identity management needs to be up and running 100% of the time, so that means IT admins have to make sure there isn\u2019t a single point of failure. That entails having extra instances of the hardware. On top of that, purchasing and regularly upgrading this hardware is not cheap. Then, there\u2019s also the time it takes to maintain and manage it all, and this eats into how IT admins can spend their time and where IT labor costs end up going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a cloud-only directory service<\/a>, Grab found they could deploy it in a day with very little hassle. This was crucial because as their IT team put it, \u201cGrab gains a large advantage by being first to market in any new city we serve. We are sometimes given very short timelines to set up a new office\u2014even as little as two weeks. So, the need to deploy quickly was one of the main reasons we went with JumpCloud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grab certainly isn\u2019t the only fast growing company to appreciate a cloud identity management solution. Cabify<\/a> is a transportation network company that has also come to value a cloud-only approach. As their Global IT Directory, Enrique explained:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A cloud identity management solution also enables an organization to scale their business with ease. Do you have plans to hire a lot? A cloud IdP offers flexible administration that makes it easy to onboard new hires. For example, an intuitive UI, features like Groups, and powerful APIs are tools sysadmins can employ to ensure new hires get everything they need on day one. Because flexible administration enables efficient IT processes, an IT department doesn\u2019t necessarily need more admins as the company scales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another aspect of scaling a business is being able to expand your location. A cloud IdP makes this hassle-free (at least, where IT is concerned) because you won\u2019t need to worry about IAM hardware components for your new offices, you won\u2019t need VPNs<\/a>, and the IT admins at your headquarters can easily manage the users and resources at these new locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because a cloud IdP can so easily adapt to new IT resources and support expanding enterprises, organizations can be confident about taking on the future. They don\u2019t have to worry about upgrading hardware and making sure they have the right amount. They don\u2019t have to worry about not being able to support new apps and services down the line. Essentially, as an organization grows and adapts, a cloud identity provider will do so as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A future proof identity provider<\/a> has definitely instilled peace of mind for Grab:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interested in learning more about the cloud IAM platform Cabify and Grab have implemented? You\u2019ll find their case studies and others in the carousel above. All of our customer case studies offer examples of how JumpCloud Directory-as-a-Service has helped them with agility, productivity, security, and more. Ready to see how a cloud identity provider increases agility?\u00a0Try a demo or guided simulation<\/a>, or\u00a0sign up<\/a>\u00a0for a free account. Of course, if you are ready to talk to a person about our cloud identity management solution,\u00a0drop us a note<\/a>, and one of our technical experts will happily get back to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cHow can I increase agility with a cloud identity provider?\u201d It\u2019s a question many in IT are asking as they look to shift to the cloud.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":28214,"template":"","categories":[],"collection":[],"wheel_hubs":[],"platform":[2360],"resource_type":[2310],"funnel_stage":[],"coauthors":[2513],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n