Michelle Agroskin

Michelle Agroskin is a Staff Product Marketing Manager for Okta. She leads the Customer Identity AI, Authorization, and Consumer portfolios; driving go-to-market strategy, messaging, launches, and strategic growth initiatives.

She lives in NYC and in her free time, loves to travel the world and try new restaurants!

Staff Product Marketing Manager, Auth0

Is your AI agent strategy truly secure? Discover how robust customer identity and access management (CIAM) can build trust and protect your business.

Four Identity Security Essentials for a Trusted AI Agent Strategy

NickApostolu

Nick Apostolu is a Staff Product Marketing Manager at Okta, empowering healthcare organizations to harness IAM solutions to meet critical business goals like optimizing the patient experience, strengthening their security posture, increasing clinician efficiencies, and cutting costs. Prior to joining Okta, Nick has spent the majority of his career at healthcare technology organizations as a product marketer with primary focus areas of revenue cycle management, payments, and population health analytics.

Staff Product Marketing Manager, Healthcare

Nick Apostolu

Discover how customer identity and access management (CIAM) is essential for securing AI-powered healthcare systems. 

The Future of Healthcare Is AI-Powered and Secure: How CIAM Builds Trust

Todd McKinnon

Todd McKinnon is the CEO and co-founder of Okta, the leading provider of enterprise identity, which he co-founded in 2009 with Frederic Kerrest. Under Todd’s leadership, Okta has transformed the way millions of people access technology and put identity at the forefront of security.

Todd’s experience as a leader and technology visionary spans more than 25 years, with deep roots in enterprise software and cloud transformation. Prior to Okta, he led engineering at Salesforce.com, where he grew the team from 15 people to more than 250, and the service from two million daily transactions to more than 150 million. Todd started his career at PeopleSoft, where he held a number of engineering and leadership roles throughout his 8-year tenure.

Todd earned his bachelor’s degree in management and information systems from Brigham Young University and his master’s in computer science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. A Bay Area native, Todd is an advisor to Family House and an advocate for equality and inclusion. He is a husband and father, an exercise addict, and a mountain bike enthusiast.

Okta CEO and co-founder

eugenio-pace-new-avatar

Pace co-founded Auth0 in early 2013 with CTO and “brother-in-arms” Matias Woloski while living 7,000 miles apart from each other. Since then, Pace has played an instrumental role in growing Auth0 into a leading identity management company that is loved by developers and trusted by global enterprises. He loves traveling and has visited more than 35 countries for business and pleasure. He currently lives in Redmond, Washington with his wife, two sons, and their labrador retriever. In his spare time, he enjoys the outdoors, rowing, riding bikes, spending time with his family, restoring his 1970 Karmann Ghia, writing his blog, and reading history and philosophy.

CEO and Co-Founder

Eugenio Pace

Today marks one year since Okta and Auth0 officially teamed up to lead together in the customer identity and access management (CIAM) market.

Today marks one year since Okta and Auth0 officially [teamed up](https://www.okta.com/blog/2021/04/its-official-okta-joins-forces-with-auth0/) to lead together in the customer identity and access management (CIAM) market. While we’re still early in our journey, we couldn’t be happier with the momentum we’ve generated as a combined company over the last year. Here’s what we’ve learned so far and a look ahead at what’s next.

### Customers need Okta and Auth0

When we first announced the acquisition, the most-asked question we heard was, “which CIAM product are you keeping?” As we answered at [Showcase21](https://www.okta.com/resources/showcase21-content/), we’re keeping both — we partner with many customers who have unique requirements, and two solutions are better than one to meet these diverse customer needs. It’s one assertion coming from us, but industry analysts have likewise acknowledged Okta and Auth0 as leaders.

Gartner® named Okta and Okta (Auth0) as Leaders in their [2021 Magic Quadrant™ for Access Management](https://www.okta.com/resources/access-management-leader-gartner-magic-quadrant-2021/thankyou/). Together, we address a broad set of identity use cases for our customers in pursuit of the incredible $30B CIAM market opportunity.

Okta and Auth0 customers like [Larimer County, CO](https://www.okta.com/customers/larimer-county/) recognize our joint value. Larimer County partners with both Okta and Auth0 to bolster security and increase flexibility for its internal IT department and county residents. Our company values are each firmly rooted in customer success, and together, our identity platforms are robust and flexible enough to support the most innovative developers and the world’s largest organizations.


<script type="text/javascript" async src="https://play.vidyard.com/embed/v4.js"></script>


<img
style="width: 100%; margin: auto; display: block;"
class="vidyard-player-embed"
src="https://play.vidyard.com/NW12EDp5yHu7D4yxsXmfC8.jpg"
data-uuid="NW12EDp5yHu7D4yxsXmfC8"
data-v="4"
data-type="inline"
/>

<include src="QuoteCard" body="Okta and Auth0 coming together PB&J-style is an amazing thing for my developers, our IT staff as a whole, our county, and our residents." name="Gregg Turnbull" title="Director of Innovation and Insights" team="" company="Larimer County" />

### Our shared values and vision set the integration up for success

The success we’ve experienced together in the last year is due largely to our shared values — customer success being just one of them. Our joint commitment to innovation, transparency, integrity, and empowerment has allowed us to collaborate effectively and remain focused on our common vision to enable everyone to safely use any technology and establish identity as a primary cloud. On this strong, shared foundation, we’ve made considerable progress in bringing our teams, products, programs, and systems together.

Our employee ranks now exceed 5,000, and together, we support more than 15,000 customers. Although Auth0 remains a product unit within Okta, we’ve combined several functions to accelerate our ability to collaborate and innovate. Our integrated go-to-market team can support organizations across the globe with both customer and workforce identity.

We’ve united our cultures and rituals, coming together for our first joint [company kickoff event](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-6900902245152509952-rv7p?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web) in February and our first joint [Developer Day](https://www.okta.com/developer-day-2021-content) in August. We’ve stayed true to our weekly Company All Hands meetings and enjoy hosting a much larger and more global audience. We’ve combined and opened up our many offices so Okta and Auth0 employees can collaborate and build relationships worldwide. We are truly better together, and we continue to experience momentum across the Okta and Auth0 cultures and businesses.

Acquisitions require a ton of work — especially those taking place in fully remote environments! This reality has never been lost on us, and it’s why we’ve been thoughtful and intentional in leading the integration with our shared values and vision. We’ve made a ton of progress so far, but what excites us most is the future.

### Our path forward is bright

We are on a multi-year journey to build the most comprehensive, neutral identity platform in the market, become the standard for customer and workforce identity, and empower everyone to safely use any technology. We have already made great strides within this massive market – $80B TAM – but opportunity abounds ahead. The past year has reinforced one indisputable fact: identity is critical technology. As always, we’re squarely focused on empowering customers with identity, and we know we can go farther and faster together.

Thank you to employees, customers, and partners for making this an incredible first year. We’re still early in our joint journey, and we can’t wait to see what the next year brings.

Source: “Magic Quadrant for Access Management” by Henrique Texeira, [Abhyuday Data](https://www.gartner.com/analyst/85957) and Michael Kelley, Gartner, November 2021.

_Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose._

_Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved._

Raising the Bar on Identity: One Year of Okta + Auth0

diegopoza

System Engineer, geek, foodie, technology lover, speaker.

Sr Manager, Developer Advocacy

Diego Poza

Enable agile scalability with customer identity and access management (CIAM)

In the last few years, identity has become a familiar concept to business decision-makers seeking to fortify their security, unlock efficiency gains, and outpace competitors.

[Customer identity and access management (CIAM)](https://auth0.com/blog/what-is-ciam/) is a set of solutions built to help organizations balance convenience, privacy, and security for every type of user who needs access to their platform. At Auth0, we’ve heard from our customers that investing in third-party CIAM solutions can benefit the entire organization, especially by:

* Providing a seamless, secure customer experience
* Protecting against expensive data breaches
* Guiding compliance with data privacy laws
* Gathering customer data into a single source of truth
* Increasing the success of digital transformation projects

Another major advantage to CIAM is that centralizing customer identity helps you build more scalable solutions — and scalability is both a benefit of and a requirement for the advantages listed above. Simply put, CIAM gives you the tools you need to scale identity quickly.

![The Business Value of Scalability](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/BXZTiwu81LfqqP7O3yEmj/a66340c22f87e48739da621e7e46cdf6/02_B_power.jpg)

## The Business Value of Scalability

Scalability refers to a system’s ability to increase its capacity and functionality based on the evolving demands of its users. Your industry may be volatile, but scalable software allows your platform to remain stable in the face of infrastructure changes, updates, overhauls, and resource reductions/additions.

Laggard legacy systems are inflexible and resource-intensive to maintain, which for many companies is reason enough to prioritize digital transformation. Critically, legacy systems also fall short of modern scaling demand and user expectations. 

In contrast, building scalable solutions helps your organization increase predictability; trim maintenance and upgrade costs; and become more agile, so you can meet customers’ dynamic demands.

> Scalable software also shortens time-to-value. Your teams will bring products to market more quickly and deliver more value to your customers if they don’t have to worry about scaling your identity solution.

### Increase reliability

Scalable software systems increase reliability, so you can avoid outages and maintain continuous uptime. The ability to provide a smooth, consistent customer experience even in the face of demand spikes is a key competitive advantage enabled by CIAM. When circumstances like a major news broadcast or a big sporting event cause your platform to be flooded with requests, you don’t want to experience lags or outages. The bottom line: Lack of scalability leads to reduced reliability, which can drive users to another service. 

### Protect against data breaches

A scalable identity solution helps protect customer data from breaches and exposures that can occur as your organization scales. [A 2020 IBM-Ponemon study](https://www.ibm.com/security/data-breach) found that data breaches cost an average of $3.86 million per incident globally, with the number rising to $8.64 million on average in the United States. Breach-related costs include actual fines and reputation erosion that can lead to customers shifting to competing brands.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="With CIAM, you can offer your customers the convenience of rapid authentication without introducing security vulnerabilities that make you more susceptible to a data breach." />

### Be ready for mergers and acquisitions

If you want to enhance your appeal as an acquisition target, or if you’re evaluating other companies to acquire, a solid CIAM strategy is critical. [Implementing CIAM before a merger or acquisition](https://auth0.com/blog/why-iam-is-essential-to-m-a-and-replatforming/) can prevent you from spending months integrating applications struggling to reconcile a high volume of user data, exposing security vulnerabilities, or introducing friction that drives customers away. 

CIAM goes a long way toward minimizing the disruption of M&A activity: before, during, and after integration. Managing post-M&A integration in-house is a difficult, time-consuming job that keeps your developers from devoting their full attention to your core solutions — which is more important than ever when you need to mitigate churn. [As Auth0 customer Cimpress discovered](https://auth0.com/case-studies/cimpress/), the right approach to customer identity management allows you to connect companies with divergent systems to your platform quickly and easily.

## How Does CIAM Enable Scalable Identity?

Identity touches every function of your business. Typically, organizations have to manage identity for different types of users: customers, employees, and enterprise partners. Each user type has different requirements for your platform depending on how they use it. CIAM not only helps you provide the right balance of convenience, privacy, and security to each type of user; it also gives you superior insight and a single source of truth to drive better strategic decision-making. 

### Give customers the frictionless experience they want

When a seamless customer experience is your first priority, scalability is an absolute requirement. And with customer-facing applications, ease of experience is everything. If your CIAM solution doesn’t scale, your users will abandon you for another service.

As a customer, you’ve probably experienced this impatience. If you’re trying to order dinner and your first-choice food delivery platform is overwhelmed and experiencing lags, you’ll switch over to another platform — and that platform might be your first choice from then on.

CIAM also allows companies to unify their login experience across apps, creating a consistent experience that benefits both user and brand. UK-based conditioning company [Gymshark](https://auth0.com/case-studies/gymshark/), an Auth0 customer, is a great example of how CIAM enables an exceptionally smooth, secure login experience across platforms. Gymshark needed a universal login solution that could authenticate customers across 15 different online stores and mobile apps. With Auth0, they’re able to manage access for 250,000 monthly users while securing their platform against [credential stuffing attacks](https://auth0.com/resources/whitepapers/credential-stuffing-attacks) and other threats to the login box.

### Cultivate customer trust with strong security

Your customers trust you to keep their personal information private; to be transparent and responsible with how you collect, store, and use their data; and to comply with regulations designed to protect customer privacy. CIAM enables you to uphold this trust as your solution scales, and your integration ecosystem expands.

Data privacy laws like [GDPR](https://auth0.com/docs/compliance/gdpr), [CPRA](https://auth0.com/blog/cpra-passed-what-s-changing-in-ccpa-2-0/), and [APPI](https://auth0.com/resources/whitepapers/amended-appi) require companies to understand how third-party providers manage the collection, use, and storage of data in their systems. CIAM solutions help guide compliance with these regulations, so you don’t lose sleep over non-compliance fines or expensive data breaches.

Implementing CIAM shows customers that you are literally invested in ensuring their privacy and security. Similarly, essential [certifications](https://auth0.com/docs/compliance) like HIPAA, CSA STAR, and ISO 27001/27018 also signify to customers and regulators that you’re not just claiming a strong security posture; you’re undergoing regular, rigorous security checks by an expert third party.

### Accelerate time-to-market and solve for future problems

Implementing CIAM lets your developers focus on supporting your core solutions instead of also having to manage identity in-house. As a result, you’ll bring products to market faster and deliver more value to your customers.

At Auth0, we recommend that companies make decisions around CIAM based not on where their business _is_, but on where they want it to be. You need identity management capable of scaling to meet future business needs, not just the pain points you encounter today. Where do you want your business to be in five years? How will that drive your scalability needs? Think strategically about your desired future state. If you get overly focused on the pain points you’re encountering right now; you may be inviting incompatibility and tech debt into your business infrastructure.

![Manage Identity Complexity with CIAM](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5jPq4nBdhF6cZtBAJYb2xM/2cafa607686a3a828b43b9d3161cdd8d/02_C_power.jpg)

## Manage Identity Complexity with CIAM

Since identity touches every aspect of your business, the functionality and scalability of your identity solution will tend to match the functionality and scalability of your organization as a whole. With CIAM, you can deliver the secure, frictionless experience your customers expect as you scale and integrate your ecosystem. That’s why many of our customers have opted to manage the complexity of identity with CIAM.

To learn more about how CIAM can help you reach your milestones, [get in touch](https://auth0.com/contact-us) with the experts at Auth0.

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />

How to Scale Quickly with Identity

df6c864847fba9687d962cb80b482764?size=200 avatar

df6c864847fba9687d962cb80b482764?size=200

Martin Gontovnikas, a.k.a Gonto, is a software engineer at heart who moved to the ‘dark side’ and became VP of Marketing at Auth0. He considers himself lucky to have found a way to combine his two passions and apply his engineering thinking model to marketing.<br/><br/> Gonto’s analytical thinking is a huge driver of his data-driven approach to marketing strategy and experimental design. He is based in the Bay area, and in his spare time, can be found eating gourmet food at the best new restaurants, visiting every local brewery he can find, or traveling the globe in search of new experiences.

Former SVP of Marketing and Growth at Auth0

Martin Gontovnikas

Insurers know that digital transformation is coming. To stand out from your peers, adopt identity and access management for a secure experience that customers can trust.



<div class="alert alert-info alert-icon">
  <i class="icon-budicon-500"></i>
  <strong>Forrester Consulting analysis determines that using Auth0 can yield a 548% ROI and $3.7M in identity-related savings. Read the full report: <a href="https://resources.auth0.com/forrester-tei-research-case-study/">Total Economic Impact of Auth0</a>.</strong>
</div>

---


Insurers know that implementing digital changes have the potential to benefit them long term. A recent [McKinsey study](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/making-digital-strategy-a-reality-in-insurance) found that insurers that digitized their processes eliminated 30 to 50 percent of the human service costs. The top quartile of those surveyed achieved 2X the growth of their peers.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Insurers know that digital transformation is coming. To stand out from your peers, create a secure experience that customers enjoy and trust."/>

But specific obstacles in the industry have stalled progress. First, the majority of insurers don't have the in-house technical expertise and equipment to make sweeping changes without support. In addition, many are concerned, particularly in an era of [increased scrutiny around customer data](https://auth0.com/blog/cambridge-analytica-and-facebook/), that a system overhaul could threaten measures they've already taken to protect sensitive information.

Despite these real challenges, customers increasingly expect cutting-edge solutions. Other industries, like [healthcare](https://auth0.com/healthcare/) and [financial services](https://auth0.com/financial-services), are quickly incorporating digital methods, raising the bar for everyone. Eventually, insurers will be forced to change. Early adopters will gain an edge, and those who are slow to transform will lose.

While it's possible to begin a digital transformation in many ways — from creating a new claims platform to simply delivering online quotes — starting with an identity and access management (IAM) strategy is a clear, easy-to-implement step that allows managers to attack several core functions at once.

## Legacy Systems in a Changing Environment

In industries such as [retail](https://auth0.com/retail), many teams are able to rely on consumer data pulled from public sources like [social media profiles](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/) to underpin their strategies. This might include compiling current and potential customer interests, events they've attended, and pages they've liked. In insurance, it's more complicated. Agents work with higher-touch information sets, like health records and credit scores.

![Legacy, old insurance systems example](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1T3qVEXkTfn8vpmFRHZyqX/35117cf6090d3668e1aacab3d062734a/legacy-systems-struggle-to-keep-up-with-digital-transformation)

[Source: Electronic Medical Records & Electronic Health Records Software](http://www.emr-ehrs.com/mental-health-electronic-health-records.php)

This data is the foundation for building customer risk profiles, determining premiums, and completing claims. Most teams have developed processes over decades that continue to work well. Although a lot of this data exists on legacy insurance softwares and systems and may not be intuitive for new hires to find and work with, more-seasoned agents understand the process and don't feel an urgent need to change.

With such fixed methods, it can be challenging to know why and how to begin to make updates. Tweaking any aspect of an established insurance company's model, even something as simple as market research or reaching out to new prospects, could skew the whole.

Yet if teams don't start somewhere, they risk becoming irrelevant in markets that are quickly evolving. Home insurers, for example, are facing variables such as interconnected home security and heating systems, like the Google Nest; auto insurers are having to factor in autonomous vehicles and the changes that ride-sharing programs like Uber and Lyft bring; even health insurers are seeing stiff competition from newcomers, like Oscar, that have a strong focus on UX and more-affordable plans.

Just because many insurance teams have succeeded with business-as-usual for decades, it doesn't mean they don't need to revamp for the future.

## Organize Your Users for Greater Security and Efficiency

For insurance teams facing a daunting set of changes, developing a clear [identity and access management - IAM](https://auth0.com/app-modernization) modernization strategy of legacy softwares is a concrete first step. IAM is a simple, initial fix that can form the basis for more updates down the line. It is a single solution for organizing and tracking customers, employees, and even business partners who are working with critical data in your system.

IAM often begins with a portal that collects, organizes, and protects customer data at the login stage. This starts with a simple welcome screen on the front end:

![Customer acquisition starts with a secured, basic identity management](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/6skPK5VXzplAOaOIG2mXAW/d4cc7731371771ffcd5576d3fcf99044/transforming-customer-acquisition-starts-with-a-basic-identity-management-strategy)

Behind this screen, the technology tracks customer logins and platform behavior and enriches their profiles with personal details and historical records. This can be information that the insurer manually uploads or automatically pulls from public sources. Some features also include additional options, such as [progressive profiling](https://auth0.com/blog/how-profile-enrichment-and-progressive-profiling-can-boost-your-marketing/), to help build customer data over time (e.g., location, age, and gender).

For administrators, certain features allow for a bird's-eye view of all users in a given system, noting growth in users over time, ratio of new to returning users, who is accessing what levels of information at any time– even what device(s) they're using:

![Customer data visualization in Auth0 reports allows for better reporting and analytics](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5iw0moRjxmuV8bvOeZ9t16/e39d7192b9ca429b294a43df722dd491/organizing-customer-data-in-a-single-location-allows-for-better-reporting-and-analytics)

Organizing customer data in a single location allows for better tracking, heightened security, and the possibility of gaining sharper insights on customer histories and current behavior. This approach will make your company more efficient at building risk profiles, communicating with customers in a more personalized way (particularly if and when they are in distress and need to make a claim), and understanding your target audience at a granular level.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Organizing customer data in a single location allows for better tracking, heightened security, and the possibility of gaining sharper insights."/>

## Outsourcing IAM to the Experts

While you can try to update your IAM system on your own, most insurers don't have the in-house capacity to do so — at least not at the level needed to meet future needs. This would require building a portal that is a one-stop solution for all users — yet is still flexible enough evolve alongside your business. The advantage of outsourcing IAM is having a dedicated team of experts whose entire job, 24/7, is to build and deliver these solutions — as opposed to adding it to a pile of tasks your IT team is currently balancing.

A provider like Auth0 makes sure all of its [features adhere to the highest industry standards](https://auth0.com/security), including LDAP, SAML, OAuth, OpenID, OpenID Connect, and JSON Web Tokens (JWTs). In addition, it is GDPR, EU-US Privacy Shield, and HIPAA compliant.

![Auth0 compliance and certifications](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/35nsnoblygw4XlOUwuocQ6/c02f2b95ba00c2410da392fe049e68c4/auth0-adheres-to-the-highest-industry-standards)

[Source](https://auth0.com/security">Auth0 Security)

This eliminates the need for your team to do additional research to ensure any changes are up to code in your geographic area or industry.

Top-notch identity and access management providers like Auth0 will offer even more tools, like 2FA options, to help ease the customer experience. These features can provide a clear measure of safety that customers will immediately appreciate. Each step along the way allows your team to move further away from lagging competitors by gaining user trust, invigorating your brand, and creating more-efficient internal processes.

## Be an Early Adopter

If you're an insurer, now is the time to make bold changes to your current strategy. The early digital adopters in the industry will gain sharper insights and win and retain more customers.

No teams will be able to hide from change. With new products constantly coming to market, the industries in which insurance teams operate are themselves being revolutionized. Taking the first step to develop and implement a tight IAM system will open the door for full digital change.

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />


How the Right IAM Tools Will Help Insurance Teams Make the Shift to Digital

Tips for a secure and organized data migration process. 1. Workflow and project management tools 2. User identity and access management 3. Clear customer communication



Data is the foundation of a company's success. It provides the basis for customer insights, corporate strategy, and operational efficiency. As more companies embark on [digital transformation](https://auth0.com/app-modernization), migrating this critical information — particularly sensitive customer data — to a new platform(s) can be a burden. Moving data can unearth inaccuracies, unknowns, and/or duplicate entries, making it insufficient to use and requiring significant changes. 

The tips below will help ensure that the movement of your most sensitive information is secure, organized, and accessible to your users.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Data is the foundation of a company's success. This post will help ensure that the movement of your most sensitive information is secure, organized, and accessible to your users!"/>

---

## Issues That Can Arise with Data Migration
Before we dig into strategies for success, it's important to understand the issues that can arise in data migration. The process can be thorny for several reasons.

### Lack of Consideration for the Process
Teams are generally focused on selecting and configuring their new system. Testing potential tools and comparing the models are generally more exciting and inspiring than the mechanics of lifting data out of the legacy package. If data is uploaded in its current state, any errors or irrelevant aspects could become amplified and increase the information's exposure to risk. Because of this, it's important to be sure your team is on the same page about the nuances of the process and has a specific roadmap marked with individual roles and responsibilities.

### Improperly Tracking Users
It's critical to manage user identities and monitor for suspicious activity when you're migrating sensitive information. Companies that rely on consumer data, in particular, must validate all entries against new regulations — [GDPR](https://auth0.com/docs/compliance/gdpr/features-aiding-compliance/protect-user-data), for example, along with more specialized industry standards such as Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) for financial institutions and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for many healthcare providers.

### Poor Communication of Updates
Making sure your end users understand how you are securing their data after you've updated your apps is important for maintaining their trust. If you can't articulate what you are doing with their information, it's unlikely they will stick around. Documenting your work and developing a clear communication strategy are essential to making sure your data migration supports your company's overall goals for growth.

To address these potential issues, the following strategies focus on workflow, user access, and communications.

<include src="ebook-ads/UserMigrationYourWay" />

## 1. Organize Your Workflow and Project Management
To clearly understand and outline the steps required for a successful data migration, take time to consider the following:

- What will cause the least disruption to the daily operations of your system? That is, when are the best times to work on and/or migrate data sets of highest sensitivity or usage?
- What aspects of your strategy can you tag to teammates in-house, and where might you need to bring in outside expertise?
- How will you document your process, ensuring that all information is accounted for?
- Will you enrich your files after they have been moved with further information (e.g., customer names and/or account numbers)?

While this list is not exhaustive and each strategy will be unique, depending on an organization's current systems and future goals, it should aid in understanding the depth of thought required for an efficient data migration.

It can be helpful to use a workflow tool to organize your team and define your process. [Airtable](https://airtable.com/product) has a proven track record for improving internal organization. When mapping out your data migration strategy, Airtable can help define your project scope, set deadlines, and assign individual responsibilities.

For any task that you're organizing, Airtable will help prioritize tasks and ensure that you adhere to your overall goals:

![Airtable](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/38brOxQrTQvBu8Pa8BBQ17/df355af7ec95291c2abff6758ccb9694/1-airtable)

> [Source.](https://airtable.com/product)

Within the grid view, you can check to see which tasks have been completed and quickly note whom to reach out to in case of a question or concern. Airtable also has a [calendar view](https://airtable.com/product) to better visualize the timeline of your data migration, which can quickly become lengthy and arduous without clear monitoring. Both views can help break down the potentially opaque data migration process into a concrete series of steps.

Additional tools to consider for managing the task of data migration include:

- [Asana](https://asana.com/guide/examples/company/project-management): Highly customizable, popular tool for engineering teams
- [Trello](https://trello.com/): Visual workflow; bulletin-board format
- [Jira](https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira): Supports distributed collaboration

Taking time to think through your steps at a granular level and selecting a tool that will hold your team accountable will help you succeed.

## 2. Clearly Track Who Accesses Customer Data
Understanding who is accessing and updating portions of sensitive customer data at any given time during the data migration process is critical to maintaining integrity. In today's environment of [increasing industry regulations](https://auth0.com/gdpr) around consumer data, this core function must be up-to-date and as tight as possible. 

Because of the complexity and urgency of this task, many teams choose to outsource their [identity management](https://auth0.com/app-modernization) when migrating data, particularly as part of a larger [digital transformation](https://auth0.com/learn/identity-management-drives-digital-transformation/).

[Auth0's user management dashboard](https://auth0.com/b2e-identity-management-for-employees) allows a systems administrator to authorize new users, track their behaviors, and evaluate their performance according to the company's policies.

![Auth0 Dashboard](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5IwuLEHPTS1w1q7UhTcUPk/277cb0224267a945a4265e0984263142/2-auth0-manage)

> [Source.](https://auth0.com/learn/cloud-identity-access-management/)

In the Auth0 dashboard, an administrator will have a clear view of users at any point. In addition, Auth0's identity platform offers enhanced options like multi-factor authentication, anomaly detection, and advanced logging. For example, if the administrator notices a certain user has a series of failed login attempts, they can [block access](https://auth0.com/docs/anomaly-detection) to investigate further. 

From a user perspective, this function is an invisible and painless part of their workflow. 

## 3. Explain Your Data Policy Changes
If you can clearly communicate your data migration and updated data usage policies to your users, you will gain their trust — and an edge over your competitors. At the moment, very few company blogs or statements spell out the details of data usage in a digestible format — as we've recently seen with Facebook's [confusing policies](https://www.wired.com/story/mark-zuckerberg-congress-day-one/). 

You have an enormous opportunity to distinguish yourself in the field if you can fill this information gap. A major data migration is a perfect opportunity for you to document previous work and latest updates. Making this information immediately visible, user-friendly, and clearly accessible is key:

![Facebook](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7mn6vdZtybE6e5Rlg1dSNa/10c9a53747ac05ec8598251b03153990/3-zuck)

> [Source.](https://www.recode.net/2018/3/28/17171496/facebook-settings-redesign-cambridge-analytica)

While hopefully your team will not be recovering from a data leak like [Facebook's](https://auth0.com/blog/cambridge-analytica-and-facebook/), the tech titan provides an excellent example of how to communicate a change in policy to users. Three key points to include when explaining your updates are:

1. Place a brief summary of the information on the front of the app where users will see it immediately without any digging.
2. Include a clear CTA or way in which users can click to read further details.
3. Make sure any actions your user must take to delete or update their data settings are very simple.

You must make your user feel as though they are well supported and in full control. Both sets of information — your summary and fine print — should feel friendly and encouraging. Employ your best writers and incorporate welcoming images or a set of bullet points to truly put your best foot forward.

## Don't Be Afraid to Change
[90%](https://auth0.com/learn/how-auth0-uses-identity-industry-standards/) of businesses today state that legacy software systems are keeping them from achieving their goals. Despite increasingly strict regulations, you should not be afraid to scale and innovate. Just be sure you take the process of data migration seriously as you search for your new platform. Make sure the right people access the correct pieces of data at the proper times during the migration and then seize the opportunity to demonstrate how bulletproof your new strategy is with excellent customer communications.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="90% of businesses state that legacy software are keeping them from achieving their goals. Scale and innovate while paying attention to data migration to succeed!"/>


Three Strategies to Streamline Your Data Migration Process

jenny-obrien

I'm a former business journalist who's fascinated by the intersection of tech and business strategy — in particular how the right solution can transform an idea into reality. I specialize in ROI, data privacy, and identity.

Business Content Manager

Jenny O'Brien

Identiverse 2018 recap: Focus on Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) for developers + Solutions Review interview with Vittorio Bertocci (video).



We had a blast at [Identiverse 2018](https://identiverse.com/) (formerly Cloud Identity Summit) in Boston last week and we had an amazing new booth specially designed for this event. The energy at the world’s largest gathering of identity professionals was inspiring. 

<p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2-roRnqW3Jw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</p>

There was a definite trend towards 'Customer Identity' (identity solutions for application developers), says [Auth0 Head of Content and Guidance Mike Fitzbaxter](https://twitter.com/mikefitzbaxter). "This was in contrast to the normal Enterprise-centric Identity solutions which are predominantly showcased at these events. It was an exciting justification of Auth0's product vision.”

## Solutions Review: Vittorio on Open Standards in Identity

[Solutions Review’s Doug Atkinson](https://solutionsreview.com/author/solutions/) caught up with [Auth0 Principal Architect Vittorio Bertocci](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-welcomes-vittorio-bertocci/) at the conference. They spoke about Vittorio’s recent move from Microsoft to Auth0 and the need for open standards in identity.

<p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-coC5zusfRc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</p>

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Check out @vibronet’s #Identiverse 2018 interview with @Solution_Review on his move to @auth0 and open standards in identity + our conference recap!"/>

## Wide Range of Identity Challenges, 5 Auth0 Sessions

In addition to discussing a wide range of identity challenges at our booth (biometrics for login, 500 legacy apps that needed to migrate quickly to a new framework, and wanting to add second-factor authentication to existing mobile apps), Auth0 offered 5 sessions, including one with our customer ATB Financial:

Beyond API Authorization ([Jared Hanson](https://twitter.com/jaredhanson))

The Critical Role of Identity in CX for ATB Financial ([Martin Lapointe](https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-lapointe-633ba050/))

The Wheel, Reinvented. Or not. ([Mike Fitzbaxter](https://twitter.com/mikefitzbaxter))

Auth0 Masterclass: Architecture & Identity: 3 IAM Examples to Support Digital Transformation (Jared Hanson)

Auth0 Masterclass:The Curse of Knowledge: Designing a Developer-Friendly IdaaS ([Vittorio Bertocci](https://twitter.com/vibronet))

## What About the Hack the Code Contest?

Over 400 Identiverse attendees tried to [Hack the Code](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-is-going-to-identiverse-2018/) to get into the Auth0 safe and claim the $5K Amazon gift card. Our most tried codes were 0000, 9999, 1234, and 2018 — typical codes that people use, but also an example of why you should avoid using those common options. To improve their chances, people also wanted to know who set the code and whether it was random or had a specific meaning.

The winning Auth0 code was actually a compilation of two random numbers chosen by two Auth0 employees: 4743. 

In the end, it took a trio of colleagues to crack the code working a winning strategy that combined logic and luck with a little social engineering. Due to a request from their employer that they decline an interview and reveal neither their place of business nor their professions, we are only able to identify our winners by their first names, but we can share how they hacked the code!

On day one, each member of the trio tried random numbers. They could tell from watching Auth0 employees very closely that Joseph had to be close to the right number. 

Aware that a lot conversation was happening at the Auth0 booth as attendees tried to hack the code, the trio remained close at hand, listening for possible clues. When day two came and went without the safe opening for them or for any other attendees, they took their social engineering strategy to the conference floor. 

The trio talked up other conference attendees who had attempted to hack the code and decided that it was highly likely that the sequence relied on a repeated number, but the third day of attempts didn’t open the safe.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Find out how a trio worked together to hack the @auth0 code at #Identiverse 2018!"/>

On the fourth day of the conference, they agreed to try again, with the three numbers they thought were correct, but with each of them repeating a different number fourth. Neither Brett nor Merrel cracked the code, but on the last try, Joseph entered the right sequence. The green light went on. The safe opened and the crowd went wild! 

Since they had already joked about how they split money if they won, Joseph, having opened the safe received $2,000 Brett and Merrel each took home $1,500. We congratulate them on their successful strategy!

## How Big was that Conference?

Thanks to everyone who helped make this conference possible. We can’t wait for next year! To get a sense of the scale of this conference, please check out the [official Identiverse compilation video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG4zesTtpkM&feature=youtu.be) (and watch for Auth0). We hope to see you there next year!


<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />


Strong Emphasis on ‘Customer Identity’ at Identiverse 2018

A strong CIAM system can help you modernize in a quicker, more organized fashion.



The shift to the cloud is accelerating. Teams of all sizes, including giants like Microsoft, IBM and SAP, are racing to catch up (as we just saw with [SAP's enormous recent acquisition of Qualtrics](https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/11/sap-agrees-to-buy-qualtrics-for-8b-in-cash-just-before-the-survey-software-companys-ipo/?utm_medium=TCnewsletter)).

Every company wants to become faster, smarter, more nimble, and more secure. The best place to begin improvements is with your customer relations. A strong customer identity and access management (CIAM) strategy can be the cornerstone of a team's success. It helps you organize your sensitive customer data in a single place, which ensures you're [compliant with current regulations](https://auth0.com/gdpr). It can also help you form a more creative and targeted strategy moving forward.

Moreover, if you're going through a [digital transformation](https://auth0.com/app-modernization), maintaining continuous customer engagement throughout this challenging process can help keep sales on track.

### What a CIAM solution allows you to do:

- Create a single view of your customers from disparate pieces of data.
- Reduce customer churn with frictionless registration.
- Stay safe in an environment with rising cybercrime.

We dig into these three benefits below and highlight how Auth0's customer identity and access management tools can help you achieve your goals.

## 1. Why customer identity and access management is the first step in single view.

[Single view](https://auth0.com/blog/the-three-best-ways-to-create-the-single-vision-of-a-customer/) is becoming the norm for teams that wish to stay competitive. While this is especially clear among [retail and media companies](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/the-case-for-digital-reinvention), it's highly relevant for all customer-facing teams. Catering to customers requires an in-depth knowledge of their interests and behaviors.

Outsourced CIAM providers like Auth0 are able to create an extensive profile for each user in a company's system, which tracks and manages their logins and devices along with their purchase histories.

![Building rich customer profiles, a single view with a CIAM system](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/okSReaVDL4OSDzKC20Kiv/db01bde2e4bfef2b6c5eb85f8b7000fa/logins)

Auth0 facilitates the collection of customer data from all available public sources that combine into a comprehensive picture that you can use to underpin more targeted marketing materials, communications, and product rollouts. Knowing that Maggie Smith is 23, for example, will ensure you don't try to push products for aging on her. You can focus instead on developing a relationship, based on her [millennial interests](https://adespresso.com/blog/marketing-to-millennials/).

If your company opts for [social login](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/), this profile will also pull Maggie's specific interests from the social providers you choose for authentication.

![Auth0 Social Connections social login providers](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1GL2CgoClEfkZ9vAfOtAzf/e399ae270682e494910d30fe93126883/sociallogins)

If a user opts to log in from multiple sources (e.g., both Facebook and Google), your team can link these accounts back together, integrating both sets of information.

A single, detailed view of each of your customers is an excellent starting point for [integrating this rich information into your CRM](https://clearbit.com/enrichment) and making more calculated decisions — such as tailoring which pieces of content your users see. Matching articles and/or advertisements to your audience's specific likes, interests, and histories can give them a more personalized experience on your platform and ensure you stay a step ahead of the competition.

## 2. How frictionless registration keeps customers engaged.

Customer retention is an enormous concern for teams today — particularly when the cost of switching among products and services is low, and product reviews and complaints are ubiquitous, along with nearly every other piece of information about your company via social media and a constant stream of news.

Yet there's still an enormous opportunity to shine and create a better experience for your users in this environment. Many companies still struggle with [bad login UX](https://auth0.com/blog/bad-login-experiences/). Users often have to refresh tabs several times just to access a homepage. They quickly lose interest if they have to recover a password more than once. A CIAM strategy that encompasses [passwordless methods](https://auth0.com/passwordless), however, can ensure success:

![Screen showing different passwordless authentication methods with Magic Link selected](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4y4Kb6Sx3JEwxEGaxTR5xU/49137e92bae8c15bfe3c48b1a35eeacb/magic-link)

SMS, magic link, and Touch ID are three tools Auth0 uses to help its customers ensure a smooth set-up process.

- SMS involves users entering just their phone number to sign up.
- Magic link relies on just an email address.
- Touch ID uses your unique thumbprint.

In addition to simplifying sign-ups, these three solutions contribute to a consistent user experience after an account is created, supporting a higher level of engagement with a company's suite of products and/or services over the long term.

Finally, passwordless authentication can also help mitigate the insecure practice of users recycling the same password for several accounts when a password reset procedure is triggered. This feature is [easy to implement](https://auth0.com/docs/connections/passwordless/faq) with a robust provider like Auth0.

## 3. How an outsourced customer identity and access management provider can help you secure sensitive data.

In addition to being a cornerstone of your team's growth strategy, an impenetrable CIAM setup can help ensure the data of your users is safe from cyberthreats.

Several studies show that [data breaches are on the rise](https://auth0.com/blog/what-is-a-data-breach/). According to [Dark Reading](https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities---threats/2018-on-track-to-be-one-of-the-worst-ever-for-data-breaches/d/d-id/1333252), 2018 is set to be one of the worst years in history for data breaches, with more than 3,600 reported breaches and over 3 billion records exposed. While no tool can 100% guarantee the safety of user data, CIAM mitigates the risk of your company shelling out for fines and lawsuits in the short term and potentially losing its good standing in the long term.

Users will appreciate your implementation of [multi-factor authentication](https://auth0.com/docs/multifactor-authentication) (MFA), for example — i.e., relying on additional sets of information, such as SMS codes, fingerprints, or voice recognition to gain access.

![Multi-Factor MFA authentication on different mobile and watch devices](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/2846ymlXupGms7lqbpSaPh/f227b6ab55a465a5b3138bff54bae3e7/mfadevices)

Auth0 Guardian can make the process of switching to MFA simple. In fact, it even makes MFA itself easier by allowing immediate approvals or denials a login attempt — from a desktop or mobile device (including Android Wear or an Apple Watch).

MFA has a strong success rate for keeping cyberthieves out—largely because it avoids reliance on passwords. A 2017 study found that breached passwords were responsible for [81%](https://www.cso.com.au/mediareleases/29642/hacked-passwords-cause-81-of-data-breaches/) of data breaches (up from 66% in 2016).

Tracking and securing your customer data is essential to maintaining integrity; however, if you're processing any data of EU citizens, it is also critical for complying with _[GDPR](https://auth0.com/gdpr)_. With fines for non-compliance being [up to €20 million or 4% of the global annual revenue](https://auth0.com/gdpr) (whichever is greater) — even if your team is an industry leader, the financial and reputational costs of thieves stealing this sensitive information could be a hard recovery.

## Go beyond customer identity and access management: think platform identity and access management

Many companies have yet to make the investment to modernize — regardless of industry. Consumer packaged goods and automotive companies, for example, lag furthest behind — only completing 31% and 32% of the digital shift they need, according to [recent research from McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/the-case-for-digital-reinvention).

The separation between those that have made the right updates and those who haven't is stark: as digitization sweeps through all industries, McKinsey finds that companies in the top quartile of modernization will [capture disproportionate gains](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/the-case-for-digital-reinvention), while those in the bottom quartile will see increasingly depressed revenue and profit growth. The gap will continue to widen.

CIAM can help ensure your team is a leader within its peer group by improving your interactions with customers.

While customer identity and access management is a critical component of a digital shift, it cannot solve all of your organization’s needs. Companies must consider B2B, B2E and IoT use case scenarios as well. A combination of CIAM with B2B or B2E use cases, in particular, can help you achieve and maintain an industry-leading position.


"customer identity and access management"