Centralizing access and improving efficiency
Known for its extensive, protected wilderness areas and the glitz and glam of Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, is home to more than 2.3 million people. More than 8,000 are public servants dedicated to maintaining a broad spectrum of public services for that population, including everything from the Las Vegas airport to public works programs, the justice system, air quality control, water reclamation, and more. If Clark County were a private organization, it would be a multi-billion dollar company, and companies of that size require a great deal of support to ensure their infrastructure runs smoothly.
“Our team members, at minimum, need access to our network, our ERP system, and all of their productivity suite logins,” says Bob Leek, CIO of Clark County. “Each of those already have different login credentials and password requirements, and then they may need another dozen or more tools for their daily tasks. Managing all of that is far too complex and time-consuming.”
To track their catalog of passwords, some employees would leave login credentials on sticky notes or would reuse passwords to simplify their workflows. These temporary solutions are an example of improper password hygiene that can leave accounts more susceptible to breaches. Any potential security gaps can directly impact the county’s data compliance requirements, such as adhering to Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards. Leek and his team wanted to begin a larger digital Identity journey, and they needed to start by centralizing and simplifying a secure login experience for the rest of the county’s employees.
Growing with fit-for-purpose, scalable technology partners
When evaluating new technology solutions, the Clark County team prioritizes fit-for-purpose, cloud-based, Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms. As the team started their request for proposal process for an Identity solution, they knew they needed something easy to use, with built-in app integrations (including custom-built apps), and that could scale alongside other county and state initiatives. “The market for Identity solutions is quite mature, so when we started our search, I turned to my peers in other large counties and at the state level,” Leek says. “I believe that we need to invest in solutions with strong name recognition and established reputations for quality, and Okta meets and exceeds those expectations.”
Leek is also working directly with other CIOs in the state to develop a roadmap for a statewide digital Identity. Rather than boiling the ocean, Leek wants to test a customer Identity solution for Clark County residents to manage their taxes and licenses in a centralized portal. “If we can implement an Identity solution that serves both my team and can eventually serve our citizens as well, we can more easily envision a single Nevada digital identity,” Leek says.
Beginning the journey to statewide Identity
With Okta Workforce Identity, Clark County has centralized its teams’ digital Identities and account management through Single Sign-On (SSO). “It’s incredibly important for us to reduce login friction for our teams’ daily tools, but threat risks also grow and change,” Leek says. “With SSO, we can validate our users’ identities and help them get their work done efficiently without potentially compromising important data or systems.”
While Clark County trusts its Identity management to Okta, the county’s small development team can focus their time on extensions and regulatory capabilities to bolster the organization’s existing tech stack, so all of the county’s employees can keep focused on the work they do best. “As a CIO, some technology investments are simply a cost of existing,” Leek says. “My aim isn’t always about speed, it’s protecting our organization from breaches or data leaks, but with Okta as our partner, we’re more secure and I can redirect my teams’ efforts to higher value activities.”
The county continues to explore opportunities to embed Okta in more of its workflows, including additional Multi-Factor Authentication login options and automating Lifecycle Management processes. Meanwhile, conversations with the rest of Nevada include evaluating Okta and Auth0 to power a statewide digital identity. “There are 3.5 million people in the state of Nevada,” Leek shares. “Creating a unified, single identity for each person is a huge undertaking, but other states have done it, and realizing that future is top of mind for Clark County.”
About Clark County, NV
Clark County employs more than 8,000 people and supports vital infrastructure for more than 2.3 million citizens and tens of millions of annual visitors. Its jurisdiction includes the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and extensive nature preserves. It also manages the nation’s fifth-busiest airport, air quality compliance, water services, social services, Nevada’s largest public hospital, and more.
