Whatfix streamlines apps and access, achieves $170K savings in six months

Whatfix relies on over 200 software applications to streamline operations. However, managing these applications became increasingly challenging, leading to inefficiencies and security concerns. To address these issues, Whatfix partnered with Zluri.

Initial Struggles: 

• Unmeasured application license utilization
• Unmanaged application procurement
• Manual and error-prone access management

Whatfix has seen rapid growth over the past 12 months, which caused significant hurdles due to a lack of cohesive processes for managing software licenses and utilization. Despite having visibility into contracted applications, many applications were acquired directly using company credit cards, leading to shadow IT. This not only escalated costs but also introduced considerable security risks.

Security was a constant concern. Manual access management processes often resulted in delayed or incomplete license deactivation for departing employees, leaving Whatfix vulnerable to security breaches. The HR department faced inefficiencies, manually emailing access requests for new joiners and leavers, which was both time-consuming and error-prone.

The Turning Point:

360-degree visibility helped overcome shadow IT security threatsZluri ensured comprehensive discovery of all software deployed within Whatfix. By meticulously measuring utilization, Zluri provided insight into software usage patterns, identified underutilized licenses, and eliminated shadow IT. This strengthened their security posture and ensured savings on contract renewals.

Error-free and streamlined employee access lifecycle managementAutomated deprovisioning eliminated the risk of under-provisioned licenses. Employees were productive from day one with the required access to applications. Automating employee lifecycle management eliminated manual intervention and errors, allowing HR to focus on strategic initiatives and enhance overall productivity.

Proactive license management led to $170k in savings in 6 monthsZluri assigned a dedicated program manager to work closely with Whatfix's departments. Regular communication and updates prompted department leaders to remove non-utilizing users, optimize license allocation, and reduce unnecessary expenditures. This proactive approach led to cost savings of $172,000 in just six months.

Conclusion: A streamlined process for every team and every procurementThe previously decentralized procurement process was streamlined and centralized, providing clear visibility into active and redundant applications. This facilitated informed decision-making across the company.Department heads gained a clear understanding of their software budgets and potential savings, resulting in more efficient budget management. Automated access management reduces error-prone manual processes and saves countless hours in onboarding new employees and offboarding exiting employees.The security team now has access to all applications and can enforce which applications should be used and which applications should not be used due to security concerns.