CyberArk > Case Studies > Idaptive Delivers Appen Increased Functionality, Improved Productivity, and Simplified Employee Lifecycle Management Thanks to Workday Partnership

Idaptive Delivers Appen Increased Functionality, Improved Productivity, and Simplified Employee Lifecycle Management Thanks to Workday Partnership

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Country

Worldwide

Product

Idaptive Next-Gen Access
Workday HCM
Active Directory

Tech Stack

Single Sign-On (SSO)
Bi-directional Software Integration
Identity Management

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Productivity Improvements
Cost Savings
Customer Satisfaction
Employee Satisfaction

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Cybersecurity & Privacy - Identity & Authentication Management

Applicable Industries

Software
Professional Service

Applicable Functions

Human Resources
Business Operation

Services

System Integration
Software Design & Engineering Services
Training

About The Customer

Appen is a global leader in the development of high-quality, human-annotated data sets for machine learning and artificial intelligence. With over 20 years of industry experience, Appen works in more than 180 languages and has access to over a million skilled contractors. The company is known for its expertise in providing data that powers the world's most innovative AI systems. Appen's extensive network of contractors and its commitment to quality make it a trusted partner for many organizations looking to enhance their AI capabilities. The company operates on a global scale, serving a diverse range of industries and applications.

The Challenge

Appen was using Active Directory as a central location for managing user access and privileges, but the process was manual and time-consuming. The inability to manage identities and privileges at scale was impacting every department, reducing their overall effectiveness and potentially impacting security. Appen needed an effective, secure, and easy way to automate access controls. Additionally, Appen's systems and processes are subject to regular audits to comply with customer and regulatory requirements, necessitating easier access to user data and the ability to securely manage user privileges across their environment.

The Solution

In 2016, Idaptive partnered with Workday to bring identity management and HCM together into a unified solution where HR and IT could collaborate to address the employee lifecycle gap. Appen chose Idaptive for its superior single sign-on (SSO) features and its Mac management capabilities. The integration of Idaptive with Workday allowed Appen to automate the management of user access and privileges, leveraging Active Directory for authentication. The configuration was completed in one day, followed by two weeks of analysis and tweaking. The Idaptive platform was then launched into production, serving as the vital element between Workday and Active Directory. This integration enabled Appen to drive everything from the platform upon which they manage human capital, ensuring that employee records were tightly synced with their systems. The real-time bi-directional software integration allowed for automated provisioning and de-provisioning of user accounts, saving multiple interactions across the employee lifecycle.

Operational Impact

A more robust single source of truth: Workday has quickly become a central component of Appen’s business, essential as a system of record not only for human resources but also for financials.
Enhanced security: Access to every application and system is revoked automatically and immediately, helping to prevent high-impact events and minimizing the possibility of human error.
Automated identity and access management: The process of creating and managing user accounts in Active Directory is now automated, saving multiple interactions across the employee lifecycle.
Decreased costs: Time spent on setting up system and application access for new hires has dropped by 65 percent, saving Appen hundreds of dollars each time an employee is hired, terminated, or promoted.
Simplified auditing: Idaptive provides clear visibility into who has access to which applications and resources, simplifying both internal and customer-requested audits.

Quantitative Benefit

Time spent on setting up system and application access for new hires has dropped by 65%.
Appen's IT spent between one and five hours setting up system and application access for each new hire, which has now been significantly reduced.
Idaptive Auditing helps Appen track app usage and determine when apps are no longer required or when licensing can be reduced, resulting in further savings.