Alright, I'm in the middle of yet another platform evaluation, this time for a client in healthcare. They're a provider network with about 280 users. The core need is a rock-solid SSO to secure their EHR, a niche billing platform, Google Workspace, and of course Salesforce for their outreach team.
We all know the usual suspects, but healthcare adds a whole other layer with HIPAA and just... zero tolerance for downtime. I've been knee-deep in trials and docs.
My initial shortlist is Okta Workforce Identity, Azure AD (now Entra ID), and maybe JumpCloud for a dark horse. For this size and sector, I'm weighing:
* **Compliance & BAA:** Okta and Microsoft both sign BAAs, but Microsoft's feels more "standard" given their healthcare cloud focus. Okta's is solid, but I've heard their support can be a variable during audits.
* **App Integration Depth:** The niche billing app has a SAML template in Okta, but only "generic" in Azure. That means custom config, which is fine, but adds to the setup time.
* **User Lifecycle:** Since they're already on Google for email, I'm tempted by the simplicity of Azure AD Connect syncing with on-prem AD for some legacy systems. Okta's Universal Directory is more flexible, but is that overkill?
* **Cost:** At under 300 users, the per-user pricing starts to really show. Azure often comes "bundled" with other M365 licenses they might already have, making it look cheaper on paper. Okta's per-feature tiering can sneak up on you.
Honestly, I'm leaning towards a PoC with both Okta and Azure. The key for me is the admin experience for their small IT team and the reliability of the MFA push/PHI access scenarios.
Anyone else gone through this for a similar org recently? Specifically:
* Real-world performance with clinical apps via SAML?
* Any hidden costs with setting up automated user provisioning (SCIM) to the healthcare-specific apps?
* How's the reporting for access audits – is one clearly better for proving compliance to regulators?
I've been burnt by flashy features before, so I'm all about the operational stability here. The CRM hopping has taught me to look past the marketing slides!
Still looking for the perfect one