CASE STUDY
digital identities and shifts to the cloud . “ Digital Transformation shouldn ’ t be underestimated , but it doesn ’ t have to be feared either ,” said Steven Rees- Pullman , Senior Vice President International , Auth0 .
“ Ninety One is looking to the cloud and replacing legacy systems with building blocks like Auth0 to be more adaptable and resilient while delivering great experiences for their clients . We ’ re pleased to help power their journey .”
Intelligent CIO Africa to spoke Carr to find out more about the Auth0 implementation and what the deployment of the Customer Identity and Access Management ( CIAM ) infrastructure means for Ninety One ’ s Digital Transformation journey .
Talk us through Ninety One ’ s IT infrastructure and why it was important to implement Auth0 ’ s identity platform solution
Ninety One was formerly part of the Investec Group and although we functioned as an independent entity , we shared a number of core IT systems with the group , such as payroll , general ledger and specifically their customer identity and access management ( CIAM ) solution , which was used to control access to the Ninety One Digital Investment Platform . Most systems were on-premise and leveraged a shared network infrastructure . As a consequence of last year ’ s demerger we needed to procure our own versions of the shared systems . With respect to CIAM we needed a solution that offered all the existing security features but also allowed us to scale and enhance the security and align with a broader strategic move towards cloud services .
What were the main challenges that Ninety One faced prior to this project implementation with Auth0 ?
Since we did not ‘ own ’ the old solution , we were constrained to the protocols of the group . ( For example password resets could only be done telephonically ). In addition , the communications layer between the group ’ s on-premise CIAM and the on-premise transactional website ( hosted by an outsource partner ) was highly sensitive to network and firewall changes resulting in downtime entirely beyond our control . Lastly , the solution was very expensive relative to the requirement it needed to serve .
Having looked around for suitable customer identity and access management ( CIAM ) infrastructure technology currently in the market , how did you settle for Auth0 ?
As part of an RFP process , we invited several participants , including the incumbent solution . All proposals were scored across various categories – technical capability , security , implementation practice , cost etc as well as engagements with relevant representatives from each participant .
Auth0 was a clear front-runner in most of the categories and the interactions with the individuals there gave us confidence about the quality of the product and the prospect of establishing a strong relationship .
Paint the picture of the size of operation Ninety One runs for retail fund investors in South Africa ?
AUTH0 WAS A CLEAR FRONT-RUNNER IN MOST OF THE CATEGORIES AND THE INTERACTIONS WITH THE INDIVIDUALS THERE GAVE US CONFIDENCE ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT AND THE PROSPECT OF ESTABLISHING A STRONG RELATIONSHIP .
Our investment platform administers assets on behalf of roughly 150,000 retail investors , collectively holding nearly 200 billion rands ( US $ 13 billion ) in assets . Ninety One has 200 people supporting this business from sales to servicing , operations and IT .
Who led the business case process for Ninety One to implement Auth0 solutions ?
Our business analyst , Digital Investment Platform IT , Tom Jackson led the business case process .
How long did the project take to implement and was the project implemented using in-house expertise or you worked with an Auth0 certified solution provider partner ?
The Auth0 implementation was aligned with a broader strategic move to create a cloud-first , scalable platform for the future . From purchase to turning off the old
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