SAN FRANCISCO — Aug. 29, 2017 — Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA), the leading independent provider of identity for the enterprise, today announced advancements to the Okta Identity Cloud to power a new independent directory standard and integration ecosystem for the extended enterprise. Updates include a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) interface for Okta Universal Directory, an expanded, richer Okta Integration Network, automated access for customers and partners, and end-to-end auditing.
“While the benefits of the cloud have been well established for years, many organizations are still unable to take full advantage of innovative new services due to their reliance on legacy infrastructure, which adds complexity and cost to implement and use,” said Eric Berg, Chief Product Officer at Okta. “Modern IT requires a dynamic system that can help them match the racecar pace of technology innovation. We’re investing heavily in building on our independent and neutral platform to manage these demands – and today’s new features make the Okta Identity Cloud the most comprehensive integration solution available for businesses today.”
Every aspect of what IT leaders need to manage, control and secure has grown exponentially, and will only continue to accelerate. To fully take advantage of cloud and mobile technologies, modern IT requires dynamic back-end systems with the ability to support both existing and future solutions, both traditional employees and external partners, customers and contractors, and a vast array of devices. Today’s enhancements to the Okta Identity Cloud make it easier for IT administrators to manage the breadth of on-premises and cloud-based applications, devices and people involved in modern business.
Updates to the Okta Identity Cloud include:
Okta Universal Directory Supports Broadest Set of Applications, Resources: Okta now supports LDAP-enabled applications to directly authenticate against Okta Universal Directory, eliminating the need for on-premises directories for small and mid-sized organizations. Cloud and mobile IT teams can authenticate developer tools, databases or other legacy apps, and can effectively use Okta Universal Directory as their core directory. Enterprises can accelerate their move off legacy on-premises directories, replacing them with Okta Universal Directory as the connection point to traditional LDAP-enabled applications such as Atlassian on-premises, Github on-premises, and popular VPNs.
New Okta Integration Network Enriches IT Ecosystem: Today, the Okta Identity Cloud connects over 3,000 organizations to more than 5,000 applications through the Okta Integration Network. Okta has expanded and deepened the set of integrations to the Okta Identity Cloud, delivering new solutions around workflow management, business analytics, security automation and hybrid IT. In collaboration with technology partners such as Palo Alto Networks, F5, IBM QRadar and Sumo Logic, the Okta Integration Network addresses the breadth of challenges that IT departments face moving to the cloud.
Automated Access and Lifecycle for Contractors, Customers and Partners: Okta is extending the Okta Lifecycle Management service with self-service registration and lifecycle policies that enable IT to automate access for external users such as customers or partners, from registration to audit. The new registration flow enables IT teams to automate access across every lifecycle state – from onboarding through offboarding – for external users where an identity is not mastered from a directory, HR, CRM or partner system. New support for time and email-based lifecycle states automates access recertification.
“At Vivint Solar, we've embraced a cloud-only model to keep pace with the constantly evolving needs of our business and largely mobile workforce,” said Mark Trout, CIO and CTO at Vivint Solar. “The Okta Identity Cloud makes it simple to push in-house and third-party developed tools through our cloud-hosted environment to 4,500 employees throughout the company. Universal Directory provided us with one place to manage our users, groups and devices from any number of sources. Since starting with Okta, we have added more than 20 apps and are saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in IT costs, as well as seeing increased productivity for our team."