Streamline Workflows Using the AWS Support App in Slack with Okta

Okta’s products use identity information to grant people access to applications on multiple devices at any time, while still enforcing strong security protections. Since 2009, the company has used AWS services to develop its software solutions and protect customer infrastructure. Okta uses AWS Enterprise Support, which provides concierge-like service for companies with business or mission-critical workloads in AWS where the main focus is helping them achieve business outcomes and find success in the cloud.

Previously, Okta managed all of its support requests through the AWS Management Console. For security purposes, only a few of Okta’s team members were authorized to access the console. As a result, the process of requesting support was lengthy and cumbersome. “The only way for an engineer to open an AWS Support ticket was to ask someone with access to our production accounts to log a ticket for them,” says Calvin Austin, senior director of site reliability engineering at Okta. “It was very slow and very onerous.” It would take 1 week to open up a new ticket, and resolving a query could involve weeks of inefficient back-and-forth communication. If a team member files a support case, only that person will have access to that case for security purposes, unless they grant access to others as well. Managing these controls added additional work for Okta engineers, and the company knew that it needed a faster and more efficient workflow. After engaging their AWS Technical Account Managers for advice, Okta’s Workforce Identity and Customer Identity business units chose to adopt the AWS Support App in Slack.

The Workforce Identity unit at Okta, which develops the company’s core identity and access management software, was a beta tester for the AWS Support App in Slack. It took an afternoon for the team to install Slack and implement the application. Twenty-four engineers on the Workforce Identity team use the application to ask questions about AWS documentation and receive support for development questions. Following this successful implementation, Okta’s Customer Identity team, which protects customers’ infrastructure, adopted the application. “It took maybe an hour for us to set up the AWS Support App in Slack,” says Jarret Peterson, manager of site reliability engineering at Okta. “There wasn’t too much on our side that we had to do. The AWS Support team took care of most of the implementation.” Four of the managers on the Customer Identity team rely on the AWS Support App in Slack to quickly resolve critical, time-sensitive questions.

Using the application, Okta’s engineers can open AWS Support tickets in Slack in a few minutes instead of 1 week and resolve their queries at a much faster pace. “Before, it would take at least 1 or 2 weeks to get an answer because access to AWS Management Console was required to create support cases. Now, it’s gone down to 1 day because any engineer can create a case,” says Austin. “That’s a huge, huge time saving.” Multiple engineers can collaborate on the same ticket, providing teams with full visibility and insight into AWS Support requests. Because the Workforce Identity team can quickly receive answers about AWS documentation and services, its engineers can focus their time on developing new features—resulting in a faster speed of innovation.

Using AWS Support App in Slack, Okta can obtain AWS Support with fewer steps and fewer people involved. Additionally, more people on Okta’s engineering team have the ability to request live support on demand without having to sign into the AWS Management Console. By streamlining these internal workflows and expanding engineers’ access to AWS Support, Okta can resolve issues at a much faster pace. This speed is crucial for the Customer Identity team, which often submits time-sensitive requests. “During a critical event, literally every minute counts. Before, we would have had to arrange a phone call or reach out to our AWS Technical Account Manager,” says Peterson. “On the AWS Support App in Slack, the ability to create the support ticket and initiate contact with a live person right away directly from our Slack channel is invaluable for us.”