Okta Platform

I have been using Okta Platform  for almost four years. In my current organization, I use Okta Platform  as a cloud-based IAM  platform for purposes like Single Sign-On , multi-factor authentication, lifecycle management, as well as for universal directories. It provides secure, automated user provisioning and access to applications for employers and customers, and it is also useful for risk authentication and API access management. Okta Platform is an AI-driven technology that detects threat-related models, signaling if anything potentially harmful might occur. Thus, there are various uses for Okta Platform.

Okta Platform protects non-human identities in my environment, including service accounts, machine-to-machine access, and AI agents. Regarding non-human identity protection, the ServiceNow  team creates a non-human identity that flows into Okta Platform and generates a generic password for them. It helps manage our service accounts and includes customization features that enable these non-human identities to automatically activate their passwords every 60 days and restrict logins to approved systems only, not from personal or any other devices.

Okta Platform helps to address specific industry and regulatory requirements in my cloud environment, including usage within the banking sector, finance sector, and one of the large logistics sectors. We also have a client in the pharmacy sector where we use Okta Platform as a complete end-to-end product.

For Okta Platform deployment model, I am using AWS . I have integrated and secured AWS  services through Okta Platform by utilizing Single Sign-On  for application integration and using Terraform  for project deployments.

The best features of Okta Platform include Single Sign-On, which offers one-click access for thousands of cloud and on-premise applications, and great lifecycle management. It automates user provisioning and de-provisioning, managing the entire identity lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding. Additionally, it provides excellent scalability along with device and administrative tools management, making Single Sign-On and lifecycle management the standout features.

Using Okta Platform, we can utilize almost 7,000 pre-built integrations with popular applications. It provides easy and customizable configuration based on client requirements, allowing for development of user onboarding, offboarding, and updating processes. There are numerous API features, including passwordless authentication and B2B customer identity with a CIAM  feature. Okta Platform secures APIs to control access and protect sensitive data, enabling users to reset passwords or unlock accounts without IT intervention. Moreover, it offers standard and custom reports to monitor access, ensuring compliance and visibility into potential security risks.

Okta Platform helps to secure access to cloud infrastructure, APIs, containerized workloads, or AI/GenAI services in my architecture by utilizing two modules: Identity Threat Protection (ITP) and identity governance and automation. ITP analyzes login patterns, device posture, and network data to detect anomalous activity, and it enables universal logout for instant revocation of access tokens across all supported applications if suspicious behavior is detected. The shared signals framework, along with Log Investigator and natural language processing, allows admins to query system logs in plain English for quicker investigations. In terms of identity governance and automation, it analyzes user roles and activity to recommend the least privileged access, optimizing governance policies and generating summaries of user access rights for access certification reviews.

While I see very few areas for improvement in Okta Platform, I do note its high cost, which can be particularly challenging for smaller organizations looking to utilize advanced features like Okta Workflows. Additionally, there are reporting limitations, as some users find Okta Platform's built-in reports less detailed compared to competitors. Furthermore, frequent multi-factor authentication prompts can cause MFA fatigue, disrupting user experience. Lastly, there is limited on-premise support, which, while robust in the cloud, is often expensive to manage for legacy on-premise applications, making these features candidates for enhancement.

I have been using Okta Platform for almost four years.

In terms of stability, I faced some issues in 2022, but for the last three years, there have been no scalability problems. Okta Platform efficiently supports scalability, allowing for extensive individual tenants within a single environment, as well as onboarding and offboarding processes for thousands of applications. Clients can scale their API access requests beyond default limits, which is adaptable according to requirements without impacting performance or deployment.

In terms of stability, I faced some issues in 2022, but for the last three years, there have been no scalability problems. Okta Platform efficiently supports scalability, allowing for extensive individual tenants within a single environment, as well as onboarding and offboarding processes for thousands of applications. Clients can scale their API access requests beyond default limits, which is adaptable according to requirements without impacting performance or deployment.

I would rate Okta Platform's tech support and customer service as an eight out of ten, as their availability can be rare and requires scheduled calls, often taking a significant time to receive solutions. However, the support provided is generally very good.

Before adopting Okta Platform, I had used OneLogin  and Entra ID for identity and access management, specifically for privileged access.

The deployment experience with Okta Platform varies based on client requirements. For large-scale applications, it took almost two to three months, while small-scale organizations required around six to seven days. I have not faced issues during deployment; it has consistently met our clients' expectations.

For deployment, our AWS DevOps team works on the deployment-related aspects and supports the workloads secured by Okta Platform.

Since implementing Okta Platform, I have noticed measurable security and operational improvements in our cloud-based workloads. Initially, we faced complex implementation challenges, but now it supports much faster and easier implementation and deployment in production, thanks to AI utilization. We resolved earlier centralized risks, and credentials are now managed in a very encrypted manner, which has improved performance and security.

I find Okta Platform cost-effective and worthwhile to purchase due to its vendor-neutral nature, supporting thousands of pre-built integrations with third-party applications. It is highly flexible with adaptive MFA, includes user behavior analytics and custom workflows, which many competitors do not offer. Its granular and easily configurable policy engine, along with a strong lifecycle management process, makes it worthy of investment for any organization despite its cost.

I evaluated OneLogin  and Entra ID before choosing Okta Platform.

My advice for organizations considering Okta Platform is that if cost is not a concern, they should definitely opt for it, as it features excellent user lifecycle management, identity governance, re-certification, user provisioning, and strong Single Sign-On functionalities. I would rate this review as a nine out of ten.

Public Cloud

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

We started Okta Platform  as an SSO  solution. We are using it for workflows configuring like JML and all the automation. Okta Platform  is being used for the JML purpose like joiner, mover, leaver purposes and all the automations.

We are using ServiceNow , so Okta Platform is integrated with them using the APIs. We have custom applications that we are integrating with using the APIs, and it is supporting very well.

In our environment, we have not enabled Okta Platform for service accounts, and we have bypassed Okta Platform authentication for those things. I am not certain if Okta Platform can support those accounts, but in our environment, we have bypassed those items.

The first thing I appreciate about Okta Platform is the security, and then the JML automation process. It is truly amazing and makes life easier for us.

We have multiple applications before using multiple authentication methods, using multiple kinds of Intranet ID and many other things. Now, we have moved to one platform which is Okta Platform. We have a single source of Okta Platform, and not only that. Before we had many processes using ServiceNow  for the management services. We have integrated Okta Platform with that to make the process more automated. This makes life easier, making things faster and more secure, with one point of one resource of authentication. It is very user-friendly.

Okta Platform supports integration with the APIs as well for applications which do not have SAML and Zero Auth. Okta Platform can integrate with the APIs.

It has been two years for me with Okta Platform, so I still cannot judge if they need improvement in specific parts. So far, it is covering what my requirements are. Perhaps in the future, if I encounter limitations, I can provide feedback. For now, I have no concerns about this.

I can say one more thing. I am in Saudi Arabia, and Okta Platform is hosted somewhere in Germany on the AWS  platform. Every country has their own compliance requirements. Saudi Arabia requires any application, every software, everything to be hosted inside the kingdom. This is our country's compliance requirement. Okta Platform is not hosted in the Saudi region. In fact, it is not even in the Middle East; it is somewhere in Germany. If it were moved to every country with their own data center, it would cover all of our compliance related issues, and every country could align with that. Saudi Arabia especially needs every application, every software, every tool to be inside the kingdom, where Okta Platform is somewhere outside. If they move to the Saudi region or somewhere in the Middle East, it would be really helpful for us.

It has been two years.

Since Okta Platform is a SaaS service, we do not have to do anything. We just need a mid-server and that is all. That works for us. We do not have any main challenges with Okta Platform.

I am still in the phase of rolling out Okta Platform completely. I have not done the complete rollout. I cannot assess this now because we are in one of the biggest companies, so we have many things, more than 300 applications, and a lot of other items. We are still in the phase of rolling out Okta Platform everywhere.

I have dealt with some issues and have raised tickets, and they were really helpful. They replied immediately with no delay. Since I am also using professional services, the responses are quicker because of that. They are very good.

For tech support, I can rate them an eight. The only thing I found is that they are working somewhere in the UK, and I am working in a different time zone, so there is a time difference. If I raise a ticket, I will get a reply the next day. That is the only issue because of the time difference. Otherwise, it is an eight.

Before, we were using Microsoft and some other kinds of authentication methods. Okta Platform has replaced those things. Almost, I feel both are the same. I did not feel much difference in the security aspect. It is the same for all.

We were on Microsoft and some other third-party authentication, though I do not remember the exact name. Then we moved to Okta Platform. It was not much, but we moved from Microsoft and some other small things to Okta Platform.

Since Okta Platform is a SaaS service, we do not have to do anything. We just need a mid-server and that is all. That works for us. We do not have any main challenges with the initial setup of Okta Platform. We need to properly design the deployment according to our organization's needs, rolling out things accordingly. But otherwise, the deployment of Okta Platform in our environment and the initial setup is straightforward because it is a SaaS service.

We did not buy Okta Platform directly because, in the Saudi region, Okta Platform is not there. They do not have any head office here or any base here. We went through another third-party company. Through them, we are buying Okta Platform.

We do have Okta Platform team with us for managed services and professional services from Okta Platform's side, along with our team. They are handling these things for us from Okta Platform itself.

We have calculated the number of seats and users. We have around 4,000 user licenses.

Okta Platform is a bit expensive compared to other solutions. Okta Platform is a bit expensive, and in fact, I am using the managed services from Okta Platform. They too are a bit expensive for us, but we are using them because we are happy to go with this solution. Otherwise, compared to others, they are expensive.

We did not buy Okta Platform directly because, in the Saudi region, Okta Platform is not there. They do not have any head office here or any base here. We went through another third-party company. Through them, we are buying Okta Platform.

It is more user-friendly than Microsoft, and Microsoft only has authentication factors. Okta Platform has other kinds of services, such as JML processes and other workflows that we can design. Microsoft does not support those things. Even though Auth0 and other solutions are more flexible, Okta Platform offers more capabilities, so we have moved with Okta Platform.

I can say it is more secure, more user-friendly, and integration with applications is easier. It does not require expert professionals to manage it. Anybody can manage it fairly easily. If you are dedicated to working on Okta Platform, then it is very easy to manage. Integration with applications is very straightforward, and there are a lot of user guides available, which help us work with Okta Platform.

My overall rating for this solution is seven.

Public Cloud

Amazon Web Services  (AWS)

What do you like best about the product?

What I like most about Okta, from a user perspective, is how easy it makes logging into everything I need day to day. With single sign-on, I only have to remember one set of credentials, and I can get into all my apps quickly without constantly re-entering passwords. That saves me a lot of time and cuts down on frustration.

Multi-factor authentication also adds an extra layer of security without feeling overly intrusive, and the push notifications are fast and simple to approve. Overall, it delivers a smooth, secure login experience that works quietly in the background and doesn’t slow me down.

What do you dislike about the product?

What I dislike about Okta is that, while it’s very reliable overall, it can sometimes feel a bit heavy in day-to-day use. At times, session timeouts seem to happen more often than I expect, which can interrupt my workflow—especially when I’m switching between apps.

From a user perspective, the MFA process is secure, but it can feel repetitive if I’m accessing multiple tools throughout the day or if I get logged out unexpectedly. There are also moments when the app dashboard feels a bit cluttered, particularly in organizations with a large number of integrated applications, which makes it slightly harder to quickly find what I need.

Overall, these aren’t major issues, but they do create small friction points in what is otherwise a smooth login experience.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

Okta solves several key challenges related to managing access, security, and user authentication across multiple tools and platforms.

From a user perspective, it removes the need to remember and manage dozens of passwords by offering single sign-on (SSO), which makes day-to-day work much simpler. Rather than logging into different applications over and over, I can access everything through one secure portal, which saves time and reduces frustration.

It also helps reduce security risks by enforcing consistent authentication standards, including multi-factor authentication (MFA). This adds an important layer of protection for sensitive company data while keeping the login process relatively quick and straightforward.

Overall, Okta improves both efficiency and security. It makes it easier to stay productive while ensuring access to systems is properly controlled and protected.

What do you like best about the product?

Combine multiple vendors’ logins into a single page - no need to remember dozens of websites or passwords.

What do you dislike about the product?

Sometimes it's not easy to add new APP connection.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

It’s helpful to have one central place to disable access for a terminated employee. I’d also like to see more secure multifactor authentication.