Okta
By Okta, Inc.
Okta is a cloud-based identity and access management platform that provides single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and user lifecycle management to help organizations securely manage who can access their applications and data.
Definition
Okta is a cloud-based identity and access management platform that provides single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and user lifecycle management to help organizations securely manage who can access their applications and data.
Overview
Okta's core value proposition is centralizing Authentication and Authorization for an organization's entire application ecosystem. Instead of employees managing separate credentials for dozens of SaaS applications, Okta provides Single Sign-On (SSO), letting users log in once and gain access to all connected applications through a central dashboard, secured further with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). As a broader Identity and Access Management (IAM) platform, Okta also handles user lifecycle management — automatically provisioning and deprovisioning accounts as employees join, change roles, or leave an organization — which reduces the security risk of orphaned accounts retaining access after someone departs. Its Universal Directory acts as a central source of truth for user identities that can sync with existing systems like Active Directory. Okta also offers Customer Identity Cloud (built on its Auth0 acquisition) for developers building authentication into their own customer-facing applications, distinguishing workforce identity management from customer identity and access management (CIAM) use cases. It competes with platforms like Ping Identity and OneLogin in the workforce IAM space.
Key Features
- Single Sign-On (SSO) across thousands of pre-integrated applications
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with multiple verification methods
- Automated user lifecycle management (provisioning and deprovisioning)
- Universal Directory for centralized identity management
- Adaptive authentication based on contextual risk signals
- Developer-focused Customer Identity Cloud (via Auth0)
- Broad ecosystem of pre-built application integrations