What is Okta identity management?

Modern apps can use secure user authentication provided by Okta, an identity and access management system. Identity controls can be incorporated into web services, applications, and gadgets by developers. It is a business-grade application that was created for the cloud but can also be used on-premises. It guarantees that the appropriate individuals have remote access to the appropriate technology at the appropriate time. It offers over 6,500 integrations to safeguard any technology, whether it is on-premises or in the cloud. The Okta Integration Network provides all of these connections (OIN). The IT staff finds Okta to be very helpful in managing, tracking, and controlling accounts that contain sensitive data.

The user experience and service standards are improved by Okta. A survey of Okta customers revealed a 57% decrease in helpdesk tickets relating to passwords. The time required to provision and de-provision a user is significantly shortened by Okta Identity Management . The best practises of Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) have been implemented by the creators of Okta. It guarantees that all workers, partners, suppliers, and customers have access to the software they require within the company. Products are provided for both employee and consumer identity.

Workforce Identity

With Okta’s workforce identity solutions, an enterprise can connect their employees, contractors, and partners to any technology on any device. It securely enables remote work without compromising security. Okta has the following products as part of workforce identity.

Single Sign-On

Okta provides a single sign-on solution to the cloud, on-premise, and mobile applications. If you sign into Okta once, you can access any of your company's web applications without having to enter the credentials again. It uses one of the below two SSO integration methods.

Okta's Secure Web Authentication (SWA)

Federated (supporting SAML or another proprietary federated authentication protocol)

Universal Directory

Okta's Universal Directory manages all users, groups, and devices all in one place. It lets the IT team store any number of users and attributes from various applications and sources. It supports storing things like linked-objects, sensitive attributes, and pre-defined lists. All the data from the Universal Directory will be accessed over LDAP or an API.

Adaptive MFA

Okta provides a multi-factor authentication solution for apps, systems, and devices that are accessible by employees, partners, and customers. It lets users create intelligent and authentication policies based on login. IT team will be able to enable multi-factor authentication very easily.

API Access Management

The OAuth 2.0 standard is implemented by Okta to safeguard and secure APIs. Users who want to access APIs must first authenticate themselves. It offers a central dashboard for developing, managing, and verifying API access policies. Who can access your API resources can be controlled by policies and rules created by users. Additionally, it makes it simple to use API resources.

Lifecycle Management

A worker can be moved to a different system or have their function change, requiring access to new tools. The employee's steps are recognised by lifecycle management, which also automatically manages task provisions. The lifecycles are all automated by lifespan management, whether the employee is an internal or external one.

Advanced Server Access

Advanced Server Access from Okta automates identity and access restrictions for Windows and Linux servers on-premises or in the cloud. It controls access to Linux and Windows systems via SSH and RDP. By integrating with your internal servers, it offers Zero Trust software. With a simple server agent and client application, it is offered as a SaaS.

Lifecycle Management

It simplifies syncing user profile attributes between Okta and 3rd-party applications. The mappings can be done using the Okta Expression Language. It automates the workflows of the lifecycle state of your customers. We can automatically assign applications to groups.

B2B Integration

Okta makes it easy to integrate with enterprise directories or identity providers. It lets you connect with partners that have their own IDP. We can connect to customer's LDAP or Active Directory and sync the user accounts to Universal Directory. So, the users can sign in with their existing identity from any system that is OIDC-compliant.

Access Gateway

It makes it simple to integrate contemporary authentication into established web programmes. Using the app templates and native on-premise integrations, the integration can be completed without the need for creating any code. Middleware and databases are not needed. Users receive a seamless user experience with customers' applications on all devices. By offering AI-driven security, authentication context, and threat intelligence, it improves security.

Directory integration

In order to give access control to on-premises resources including web applications, file servers, and networks, directory integration acts as a "source of truth". In its own particular database, it keeps track of user credentials. Users gain access to the proper resources for the optimal experience when they first connect into their domains. With LAN-based architectures, it performs well. Users can interface with current LDAP, CSV, or Active Directory (AD) directories.

Reporting

On its reports page, Okta displays a number of usage and access reports. It includes pre-built System Log queries. A summary of who has access to an application, when they gained access, and how they gained access will be provided on the dashboard. Three categories are used to group the reports in Okta.

Activity Reports - It shows how end users are interacting with Okta along with the applications and services of Okta.

ClosedSecurity Reports - It shows the reports related to detecting potential security risks.

Additionally, it displays a report where we can look up people and see a list of all the applications they have. The time it takes for a user to receive the results after running a report varies. The length of time depends on how large your request is. You can download some reports in.csv format, including App Password Health, Suspicious Activity, and Deprovision Details. Email can be used to transmit reports on Okta Usage, Okta Password Health, Current Assignments, and MFA Usage. SAML Capable Apps, Provisioning Capable Apps, Yubikey, and SMS Usage reports are the only ones that are accessible outside of the Okta interface.

Conclusion

The single sign-on functionality of Okta is accessible on tablets, PCs, and mobile devices. As a result, users can access Okta at any time and from anywhere simply signing in. The organisation gains efficiency from it without sacrificing security. Organizations can spend substantially less on help desk tickets relating to logins. It keeps a centralised identity that allows all users to access the system. It has an expansive access policy and a full federation engine.