Businesses at Work 2024
Using anonymised data from over 18,800 global customers and the Okta Integration Network, Okta has identified the key insights you need to stay ahead of global app and business trends.
In this year's report, we explore top apps by country, the latest automation trends, the rise of compliance tools, and the continued growth of biometric-based authentication.
Here’s a deeper look.
Top 10 fastest-growing apps
From complying to designing to downright surprising
This year’s fastest-growing list features a range of applications, from compliance and legal tools, to expense management and design.
For the first time ever, data compliance tools enter the top 10 fastest-growing apps list — and in a big way. Two of the 10 apps fall into this category, with Vanta topping the list at 338% YoY customer growth.
Legal, travel, and business supplies all on the rise
Whether it’s legal getting a leg up, travel flying high, or business supplies getting the job done, there are a few standout app categories this year.
35%
YoY customer growth for legal tools
18%
YoY customer growth for design software
38%
YoY unique user growth for travel apps
63%
YoY unique user growth for business supply apps
Growth of app categories
New entrants to the growth quadrant include electronic signature tools, posting 25% YoY growth in unique users, and content collaboration apps with 13% user growth.
App adoption is up again
After the past few years of stalled growth, the average number of apps being deployed per company grew 4% YoY to 93. The return to growth reflects companies continuing to build out their toolboxes, adopting new best-of-breed tools rather than just making do.
A look at app use globally:
Companies in the U.S. and the Netherlands deploy the most apps, averaging 105 and 108 apps, respectively.
EMEA edges out all other regions with 6% YoY growth in the average number of apps deployed.
"In the face of an evolving tech landscape, organisations are investing in the tools they need to ensure that their operations are efficient, compliant, and secure.”
Sagnik Nandy
President and Chief Development Officer
Workforce Identity Cloud, Okta
Most popular apps
From tech startup to Fortune 500
There’s a great deal of variation in the top 15 most popular apps, depending on whether we’re looking at tech startups, Fortune 500 companies, or organisations overall.
Slack and Zendesk rank much higher among tech startups, while ServiceNow, Workday, and Snowflake take up the conversation for the Fortune 500.
Developer tools like Atlassian Product Suite and GitHub appear across all three lists.
Go with the flow
Whether for automating maintenance, lifecycle management, or security processes, Okta Workflows adoption is on the rise — and tech companies are leading the way.
The most popular Workflows connectors support collaboration apps. Slack is the most popular connector by number of customers.
36%
YoY growth in the number of tech sector customers leveraging Workflows
78%
YoY growth in the number of customers using Workflows to automate operations and maintenance
59%
YoY growth in the number of customers using Workflows for lifecycle management
75%
YoY growth in the number of customers using security Workflows templates
Workflows adoption by industry
Tech leads Workflows adoption
The tech sector has the overall highest Workflows adoption, with 36% YoY growth in the number of accounts deploying Workflows.
The average number of Workflows deployed in the tech sector rose from 38 to 56 over the past year.
Everyone is stepping up their MFA game
Security questions are on the decline. Instead, organisations are embracing more secure forms of authentication, such as biometrics and security keys.
158%
YoY increase in the number of unique users deploying security keys and biometrics
25%
YoY increase in the number of companies deploying security keys and biometrics
52%
YoY increase in the number of government customers deploying security keys and biometrics
-29%
YoY decrease in the number of banking and finance customers deploying security questions as a factor
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