Okta Platform

What do you like best about the product?

I like how Okta manages multiple apps at one place, saving me from remembering multiple passwords. Okta's passwordless future is great, allowing the use of multiple apps without the hassle of logging in and remembering different URLs. I appreciate that Okta manages security on its own and is highly secure. The performance and ease with which I don't have to manage security and performance are also things I value. The initial setup was easy too.

What do you dislike about the product?

While the basic APIs are excellent, the documentation for more niche or advanced edge cases can sometimes be sparse or outdated. Many essential security features like adaptive MFA or lifecycle management are sold as separate add-ons rather than being part of a unified core package. Compared to legacy heavyweights like SailPoint, Okta's governance feature can feel a bit 'light' and sometimes struggles with highly complex, multi-condition access certifications.

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

Okta is like a magic key for my computer. Instead of having to remember a hundred different passwords for all my apps, I only have to remember one. It saves me from getting frustrated when I forget a password. It also makes sure all my work tools are ready. It even makes everything run fast and smooth so I don't have to wait for my apps to load. Basically, it does all the hard "security work" in the background so I can just jump in and start having fun working.

What do you like best about the product?

Okta’s SAML and OIDC single sign-on capabilities really help streamline identity management and make employee access more efficient. The added security of funneling access through Okta, together with its flexible MFA configuration options, has been very beneficial—especially when it comes to removing system access in a timely and thorough way. Furthermore, the ability to provision and maintain downstream accounts via SCIM integration saves valuable time and effort for our IT staff.

What do you dislike about the product?

While Okta provides numerous integrations with mainstream platforms, there’s still room to improve its third-party integration offerings. Leveraging pre-built integrations with 3rd-party applications is easy and straightforward, however custom integrations to 3rd-party applications can be rather cumbersome for our organization.

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

We used to have to maintain many different sets of credentials for many different sites or systems, but now with Okta our users are able to quickly and easily log into Okta and then access all their other sites via SAML or OIDC single-sign-on. This saves our users a ton of time and hassle. Also, having a single place to deactivate a user's access upon termination is an enormous benefit from a security perspective.

My previous company did purchase Okta Platform  through the AWS Marketplace . When I was in Smarsh, they bought it from the AWS Marketplace  and were using the Single Sign-On  option with multi-factor authentication to ensure that whenever we tried to log into a system such as Bosch or Concur, the login happened via Okta Platform . Smarsh was primarily using Okta Platform via the AWS Marketplace, whereas  in my current organization is not using Okta Platform from AWS  services. We have purchased it directly from the vendor.

In our case, the main use cases for Okta Platform include a Central Identity Provider where multiple SaaS tools are utilized along with many internal apps we have. We configured a Single Sign-On  option for everything, eliminating the need for users to remember different logins and information. This was something we configured in Smarsh, where a single login ensured that we were able to log in via Okta Platform only instead of doing individual logins for each screen. Every SSO login used one username and password for the SSO login, followed by an authentication layer. Based on the three-factor authentication combining username, password, and authentication, we were able to perform proper sign-in. This serves primarily for our multiple SaaS tools we have in our organization, as well as certain internal apps we are using.

In our architecture, Okta Platform helps secure access to cloud infrastructure, APIs, and containerized workloads. We have not integrated GenAI in Okta Platform right now, but we have integrated it for our AWS  services, which has resulted in positive outcomes. After implementing proper user authentication, we can segregate user access effectively and also trace any malicious or bad actors in the company. Previously, we relied on common credentials for specific tasks, which resulted in downtime. Because of this, we introduced Okta Platform. We were using manual sign-ins with usernames, but when SSO was introduced, it made our lives easier.

We are a FinTech company, and Okta Platform helps us address compliance and regulatory requirements effectively. There are numerous statutory regulations we have to follow, especially when dealing with finance customers such as larger banks, who have specific requirements to fulfill. Okta Platform has significantly aided us in this area as we can track each user, monitoring what they do and even obtaining their geolocation. For banking and finance purposes, it has proven to be very beneficial. Although I am not involved in healthcare or any other domain, I work solely in FinTech.

The best features of Okta Platform include Single Sign-On, which we have utilized. Beyond that, multi-factor authentication has been beneficial. User Lifecycle Management is also a key feature where everything is managed via Okta Platform itself, allowing us multiple ways to set policies and automate provisioning. We can onboard both customers and employees to our internal organization through this.

Based on my use case, I was more involved in the team that managed Okta Platform for other teams. One problem we previously faced was multiple users coming to us with different forgot password issues, as we had an administrator sign-on for the forgot password situation. Before Okta Platform, all our logins were fragmented, leading to a lot of manual toil. After implementing Okta Platform with centralized authentication and policy enforcement on top of the existing sign-in approach, our workflow has become much easier. The best part is that manual toil has almost vanished.

Since implementing Okta Platform, we have noticed measurable security and operational improvements in our cloud-based workloads. The best part is it is very easy to integrate as it has a huge app catalog which streamlines the integration process. I have never encountered issues with failed sign-ins due to external factors. As for our security posture, with MFA enabled, we have significantly reduced the common credential problems we previously faced. Because of all this, we ensure our security positioning meets all compliance standards, and whatever protocols are necessary are followed. Overall, from a security standpoint, it provides a better approach. With its extensive app catalog, integration is seamless; you just purchase it from the vendor and incorporate it into your system.

For Okta Platform to improve, I would suggest enhancing debugging for SAML, as we have faced issues using OIDC or SAML without any user-side tools to identify what is happening. This has become a significant challenge, particularly with SAML logins in the context of AWS usage. If the debugging process is made easier, it would greatly improve our experience. I also find the initial policy setup complex, as it can be a nightmare given its intricacy. Although I do not handle it personally from start to finish, I recall those complicated days vividly.

Okta Platform usage has been around four years in Smarsh and one and a half years at my current organization, totaling approximately five years.

I have not experienced any downtimes or crashes. The only issue arises during SAML errors, which are tough to debug, but overall, I have not seen any downtime. When I check Okta Platform uptime, it seems to be above two nines.

Throughout my experience, I have never noticed any downtime. Reliability is paramount, especially since I work as a Site Reliability Engineer, so both reliability and availability factors are critical. Okta Platform scales efficiently, and I have consistently observed its performance as quite fast, but my experience is only with the cloud solution.

I have not utilized customer service and technical support much. My experience shows that it should be satisfactory. We received helpful responses and resolutions for the few questions we directed to them.

Before choosing Okta Platform, we evaluated Azure  where we use Microsoft Intune  to register our devices. This alternative is also relatively cheaper for us since it is bundled with Microsoft services and has provided better ROI, but we still use Okta Platform for its effectiveness. We have a partnership with Microsoft in our organization, and they also sell out product in their marketplace. Okta Platform's sign-in features are especially good, offering proper pop-ups when signing in and providing easier access compared to Azure  currently.

Before choosing Okta Platform, we mostly used manual logins for everything at my previous service company. When I joined Smarsh, they utilized Okta Platform logins exclusively. We even used shared credentials because we were more of a startup. As the company grew, we adopted Okta Platform based on an architecture suggestion, and this was integrated into our system smoothly without issues. In my current organization, we are using Microsoft login instead of Azure, but both solutions function similarly. However, I find Okta Platform preferable for Mac users.

My experience with the deployment of Okta Platform indicates it is very easy to integrate; however, the configuration of policies is quite complex. We had to troubleshoot SAML assertion issues during quite a bit of integration, which was painful. The token expiration and refresh process also require careful handling as we faced numerous token expiration notifications through Slack.

The initial setup process can feel overwhelming since while integrating Okta Platform is easy with the existing catalog, the complexity arises during policy configuration, which requires extensive research and adjustments. This is something that often feels problematic. Aside from that, the cloud solution integrates relatively smoothly; most challenges arise from policy settings.

We did not use an integrator, reseller, or consultant for the integration process. Our internal team performed most integrations with minimal external assistance, relying primarily on the documentation provided after purchasing the solution. The documentation is straightforward and manageable, and we only needed to contact the support team a couple of times with questions. Overall, it was not a major issue.

If I want to quantify the return on investment with Okta Platform, I have certain metrics. It has reduced our login-related support tickets significantly, providing us with better visibility and reducing manual toil, which has almost been eliminated. Previously, we conducted numerous audits, but now the admin UI provides all necessary details about what, where, and how events occurred. Employee onboarding used to be a major pain point, but the automation Okta Platform provides for creating user accounts across various apps or SaaS tools has made our life much easier. Audit processes have also become simpler, especially in finance where compliance is critical. This is something most people experience with Okta Platform; it undoubtedly has a positive impact.

Okta Platform is expensive. At scale, Okta Platform is costly. There is no question about that. However, I feel it offers quality. While it is not entirely justified, it is somewhere between 70-80% justified in terms of pricing.

Okta Platform is a good solution to discuss. When advising other companies considering Okta Platform, I recommend analyzing the cost first, as it is a critical metric. For organizations with a large user base, it is essential to explore and understand potential expenses associated with Okta Platform. The pricing can be quite high for large-scale usage, so expenses should be considered carefully before committing to Okta Platform. Services are generally good, and no product is flawless, so there will be notable strengths and weaknesses to consider, such as token and SAML troubleshooting issues. With our company's tuned MFA, we have alleviated many issues, but without it, problems can arise for several employees. Okta Platform is not deployed on-premise; everything is on the cloud. I would rate this review as an 8 out of 10.

Public Cloud

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

What do you like best about the product?

I appreciate being able to use the platform’s Automation features to streamline employee onboarding. I also like how the way the implementation is set up helps with access auditing.

What do you dislike about the product?

Having recently upgraded to the Okta Identity Engine, I cannot think of anything I actively dislike about the system.

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

SSO via Okta is solving the problems of multiple credentials required for the multitude of tools, Saas solution and Applications our staff need to carry out their roles.

What do you like best about the product?

I like that Okta is super intuitive and easy to set up, so you don't need a degree to test it out. It integrates with a ton of popular software, making it very flexible. It's also really helpful for tracking when people log in and do their work, plus it makes giving access to licenses like Salesforce a breeze.

What do you dislike about the product?

Okta is incredibly slow, and it asks you for a login pretty much all the time. Even after you've logged in, it sometimes asks you to log in again, which can be a little bit frustrating for people who use it.

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

I use Okta to enable secure logins, manage access to sensitive platforms, and track work activities. It simplifies giving access to licenses, making setup intuitive and integration easy with other software.