Zoom wasthe fastest growing app within the network, with 110 percent growthin unique workforce users in March over February. (Photo:Shutterstock)

Stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic haveaccelerated an already growing trend of increased usage ofwork-from-home apps and other tools – not to mention more "comfypants," according to Okta's report "2020 Businesses@Work (from Home)."

Growth during the pandemic has especially occurred in two majorareas: collaboration tools, especially video conferencing apps, andnetwork security tools such as VPNs that extend secure access toremote workers, OKTA found in its analysis of unique users amongOkta customers that have deployed at least one app through the OktaIntegration Network.

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"Workforces need it to be productive, but families are usingvideo conferencing to stay in touch, friends are schedulingget-togethers, and both educational and extra-curricular classesare moving online," OKTA writes. "So it will probably come as nosurprise that three of our top seven fastest growing apps are videoconferencing tools."

Zoom was the fastest growing app within the network, with 110percent growth in unique workforce users in March over February.This compares to 6 percent growth in Zoom usage during that sametime period in 2019. Other video conferencing tools within the top10 fastest growing apps and tools was RingCentral, which rankedsixth with 39 percent growth, and Cisco Webex, which ranked seventhwith 37 percent growth.

Also on Okta's top 10 fastest growing list are network security and performance tools. PaloAlto Networks GlobalProtect ranked second, with 94 percent growthin March over February, compared to 20 percent for that same periodin 2019. Cisco AnyConnect ranked third, with 86 percent growth.

"These VPN tools provide security and ensure business continuityas organizations move workforces to the cloud at scale," OKTAwrites. "Citrix ADC, which accelerates application performance andsecures apps from attacks, had 56 percent month-over-month growthin that same period. Proofpoint Security Awareness Training was thefifth fastest growing app, with 40 percent growth."

Others that made the top 10 include Freshservice's cloud-basedIT service desk solution, with 25 percent growth; LinkedInLearning, 23 percent; DocuSign, 20 percent; Slack, 19 percent;Quip, 15 percent; Smartsheet, 14 percent; and Zscaler, 14percent.

Okta also found especially large upticks in organizational usageof multi-factor authentication in the past month to ensure remoteworkforces have secure access to company data. Okta Verify,including Okta Verify with Push notifications, had the most uniqueuser growth at 80 percent, followed by SMS, voice, GoogleAuthenticator, Symantec VIP and YubiKey.

"Our customers around the world have reacted to the pandemicquickly, rolling out remote communication apps, extending VPNs, andadding multi-factor authentication to ensure the productivity,connectivity, and security of their (now) remote workforces," Oktawrites. "This first phase of evolution enables remote work socompanies can thrive. Once the dust settles, we believe companieswill be ready to face a second phase of evolution, adding apps andtools that will not just enable remote productivity, but enhancewhat will likely become a 'new normal' of dynamic work."

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