Add app integrations as an end user

The Okta End-User Dashboard is an interface that offers end users secure access to the enterprise applications and information in an Okta org. With the Self Service feature, end users can add app integrations to their dashboard.

Before you begin

The administrator must activate the Self Service feature and permit end users to request app integrations. See Enable Self Service request feature.

For any app integrations that require review and approval before being assigned to end users, the admin must configure the approval request workflow. See Configure Self Service approval workflow.

The end user needs to sign in to their dashboard.

Start this procedure

There are three activities that an end user can perform from the dashboard.

  1. If an app integration exists in the Okta catalog and the SSO or provisioning functionality has been configured by an admin, then end users can add it directly to their dashboard. These app integrations may require additional approval for end users to be granted access.

    See Add an org-managed app integration.

  2. If the app integration exists in the catalog but the administrators have not configured it for the org, end users can add it to their dashboard. However, this applies to app integrations where a username and password are the only credentials required to access the external application.

    See Add a personal app integration.

  3. Finally, end users can make a direct request to the org admins to have an external application added as a configured app integration to the org.

    See Request an app integration.

Add an org-managed app integration

This task is only available if the admin has enabled the Allow users to add org-managed apps option in the Self Service feature.

End users can choose to add app integrations that admins have already configured for Single Sign-On (SSO) or provisioning functionality. These app integrations appear inside the app catalog in a filtered category.

  1. In the End-User Dashboard, click Add apps.
  2. The default filter is labeled Apps managed by {org}, where {org} is the name of your Okta org.
    From this filtered list of app integrations, choose one of the following options:
    • If the app integration is already approved for use by anyone in the org, click Add to add it directly to the End-User Dashboard. No further action is required.
    • If the app integration request has to be approved by an admin or business unit delegate before it can be assigned, click Request to initiate the workflow. A dialog appears where you can enter any comments for the approvers. Click Request app to submit the request.

If the app integration requires approval, the request is forwarded to the approval chain. During the approval process, end users receive updates through dashboard notifications or email, depending on how the admins configure the notification options. After the request is approved by everyone in the workflow, Okta automatically adds the requested app integration directly to the End-User Dashboard.

Add a personal app integration

This task is only available if the org admin has enabled the Allow users to add personal apps option in the Self Service feature.

Org admins do not configure SSO and provisioning for every app integration in the Okta app catalog. They also may not have added the configured app integrations to the approved list of Self Service app integrations. However, end users can still use the Okta app catalog to add any app integration that only requires a username and password for account creation. Only that end user sees the personal version as an app integration tile on their dashboard. If the app integration isn't in the catalog, the end user can add to their dashboard a new bookmark to act as a link to any external application.

  1. In the End-User Dashboard, click Add apps.
  2. If the administrators have enabled the option to allow personal app integrations in the org, the Filter shows all the available categories in the app catalog. End users can choose a specific category filter to narrow the selections or choose All Apps to search the entire catalog. In the search bar, enter the name of the app integration.
  3. If the app integration is in the catalog, click Add to add the app integration to the dashboard. This integration can only pass a stored username and password to sign in to the external application. The admins haven't configured this app integration, so the first time it runs, a Sign In To App dialog requests the username and password credentials for the external application.
  4. If the app integration isn't in the catalog, click Add a bookmark instead to add a bookmark on the dashboard.

    Enter the URL and a name for the external application.

    If the org admin has enabled the Allow users to email "Technical Contact" to request an app option of the Self Service feature, you can also select Ask {org} IT to add this app to submit a request to have the external application added.

    When the you click this bookmark app on your dashboard, Okta launches the destination URL but does not pass credentials to the external application.

Request an app integration

This task is only available if the admin has enabled the Allow users to email "Technical Contact" to request an app option in the Self Service feature.

To request that org admins add an Okta app integration for an external application:

  1. Click Request an app link at the bottom of the End-User Dashboard.
  2. In the dialog that appears, enter a message to the org admin with information about the external application.
  3. Click Send to {org name} IT.

A message about the external application is sent to org admin for review. If approved, the admins can set up the connection with the external application and then assign that app integration to the appropriate end users.

See also

Okta End-User Dashboard

Add apps from the Okta Browser Plugin