APPS SPECIAL........ The 10 Work Apps to Watch in 2017

APPS SPECIAL The 10 Work Apps to Watch in 2017

Odds are you're going to see more of these apps in the workplace this year.

The apps we use at work and in our personal lives are always changing. It's almost impossible to predict which ones will be popular tomorrow, since more than 1,000 apps are introduced every day. While reviews and downloads from the App Store can indicate the popularity of some apps, it's harder to determine just how valuable they are and how much they're being used. It's even harder still to predict which apps will be popular in the coming months. But at Okta, we have some unique insights into the popularity and value of work apps. We're able to see how often employees actually log into and use their apps, and how those apps will trend in popularity over time, since organizations use our service to securely connect their people to technology.

We recently looked at our data--compiled from millions of users across thousands of organizations and applications--and one of the findings our customers and partners are often drawn to is the list of fastest-growing apps in our network over the past six months. Some of these won't come as a surprise, while others might be new names for you. Regardless, we think you'll start to see these apps more in 2017.

1. Zoom: 

As the fastest-growing app in our network this year, Zoom has proved itself as a valuable videoconferencing tool. The multi-platform app provides high-quality video and audio, and offers online meeting spaces and a cross-platform group-chat tool. We experienced the usability of Zoom when broadcasting our recent Businesses @ Work event with the app. Considering the company's recent $100 million round of series D financing from Sequoia, Zoom is well positioned to continue to improve company communication over the coming years.

2. Cisco Umbrella: 

The Cisco Umbrella app is a cloud security platform that protects users from threats on the internet across a wide range of devices. The platform blocks malware, botnets, and phishing over any port, protocol, or app. It also has the power to detect and contain attacks before they happen.

3. Slack: 

Slack is the fastest-growing collaboration tool in our network, which is no surprise given its popularity over the past several years. The app improves workflows and team communication by integrating with popular work tools such as Salesforce, Box, and Trello and consumer services like Giphy, Kayak, Uber, and Lyft.

4. Zscaler:

 Another security solution gaining traction in our network is Zscaler. It's focus on next-generation firewalls, sandboxing, SSL inspection, and vulnerability management has made it the cloud-based internet security company to watch in our network.

5. Jira: 

Jira, developed by Atlassian, is an agile project management tool that allows developers to track issues and projects. It allows managers to grant permissions, create and customize workflows, and develop custom issue types.

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6. BambooHR: 

The fastest-growing recruiting app on our list this year, BambooHR provides employee information in a single view. This allows teams to easily access, organize, analyze, and control data.

7. Lucidchart: 

Lucidchart enables users to create an organizational chart or diagram in minutes. The straightforward tool helps users sketch and share professional flowcharts, while providing a range of templates, formatting capabilities, and shapes. Interestingly enough, my co-founder Frederic Kerrest and I used Lucidchart to draw up early Okta product designs and architecture.

8. Tableau: 

Tableau's data visualization application helps people see and understand important business data. It gives users the ability to identify patterns and trends without using any scripts, making data more digestible and easier to understand. We actually use Tableau to organize the data in our network to create our annual Businesses @ Work report.

9. Instagram: 

Instagram, the photo- and video-sharing app, is the most recognizable consumer app on our list. Considering the app's new story capabilities, it's no surprise that more people are logging in at work--whether they should be or not.

10. SharePoint:

 SharePoint's mission is to help teams collaborate and share information. The document management and storage solution is widely used across the workplace and is still gaining traction among our customers.

By Todd McKinnon

http://www.inc.com/todd-mckinnon/the-10-apps-to-watch-in-2017.html