Okta Workforce Identity Reviews

We've been using this solution for SSO and consolidation of IDs.

This solution brought us the SSO perspective, and this is the main reason we're using it.

The only thing I like about Okta Workforce Identity compared to other solutions in the market is that it's an easy resource that you can get, even if you're working with many users, but there is a lot to learn about it.

There are many things that Okta has to improve on. I understand that Okta has a lot of apps, like any other provider, e.g. Microsoft apps, IDP apps, or cloud identity apps.

The problem with Okta is that they create the app and they never update. In this fast-paced industry where versions keep getting updated, Okta is really slow at times.

None of the Okta applications that they create, for example, in my case: I have used the cloud identity of Microsoft apps and now I'm using the off tabs. What I found is none of the single Okta apps that we have worked and did not create an issue. They are not fully mature. So it's that aspect that can be improved, which Okta is investigating. Their application support and not having updates for those applications also need to be improved. These are the things that surprised me and I was not able to understand from Okta.

Okta's customer support should be improved.

Okta should work with certain providers, e.g. the Google cloud, the AWS cloud, the Microsoft cloud, and they should evaluate the integration point because what happens is if your organization has SSO which relies on Okta, all of these three clouds and the Okta app are far from perfect. You are not able to get the right setup based on how your security is trying to define it vs what the application can support. You'll end up using the default interface Okta provides with those apps.

I understand Okta could say that if they shouldn't worry about it because if AWS wanted to support Okta, then AWS should be the one providing us the app and support, but Okta should try to understand the users, do surveys from the different automation using Okta, and use different apps because those apps are very critical. They are far from perfect, so Okta has the worst implementation.

I've used this solution in the last 12 months. We've been using it for six years.

This solution is stable and reliable. We didn't find the solution itself hard to use.

The scalability of this solution is bad. Scalability has two or three different meanings to it.

Is it scalable from the infrastructure side of it? The answer is yes.

Is this scalable from the business perspective? The answer is no. For example, the B2B and the B2C solutions that others provide, those aspects in Okta are completely lacking.

For example, if I have the Microsoft Azure Active Directory, I have the B2C, B2B, and the phase rate, so I have a way to not only support my enterprise but my end customers in a very fast manner. In the case of Okta, that whole path is a nightmare to work with.

I didn't like Okta's support. They say they have very good support, but the moment you create a ticket, they will tell you that they provide the app, but they cannot provide support because we connected the app to another environment, or to another side of the spectrum. This seemed very odd to me.

First, we are using the application you specified, then you say you cannot support this application just because the value provided is outside of this application, so you cannot troubleshoot or help us to troubleshoot if we open a ticket. Every single time it's a chicken and egg type of situation. From that perspective, Okta's support is horrible.

The setup was straightforward. Nowadays, all the other IDPs are the same way, too. I didn't find a single IDP that had no experience at the level, and all of them can stand up at the same time, within the same time frame.

With Okta, on the other hand, the requirement to have the ID server in between, whether it's the cloud-based ID server specified, or the on-prem base, like ours: It's on-prem, but what I found was that we were not able to do it even after following all the guidance unless we had a dedicated Okta person to help us do it. It was a different situation with Microsoft and cloud IDP which were easy to set up, as we were able to do it ourselves just by following the documentation.

We implemented the solution through an integrator consultant. They are fine. They are doing the job on a daily basis.

This solution is costly.

With Microsoft, you get the exact same information that Okta gives out of the box: free, because that's what Microsoft does, and even if I compare to other cloud IDPs, with Okta, access may offer free access for startups, and if you have fewer users, it's okay. Pricing is decent. The moment you talk about the enterprise level, for example, we were talking about implementing Okta across the US with multiple customers, and the cost they gave us was two million dollars. The cost is not justified for the single assets of this solution, so Okta is bad in those terms.

We've been evaluating Microsoft Azure Active Directory. It's still in the POC phase, and it's been three or four months. We have very particular requirements, e.g. a mix of multiple IDPs with Okta, and Azure Active Directory is one of them, but that is the only one where we don't have the solution. We are trying to do the POCs first to ensure that they are able to meet our needs.

The reports I downloaded were very informative. The things that we were trying to do is generally the One ID and software entitlement. Our customers find them more useful than the Microsoft Azure side of it. They know that the functionality exists and they are able to use that functionality, but the intuitive nature of managing the entitlement was not there. We also had a requirement where we wanted to mix the Okta in between, for the SSO, so I was trying to collect as much information as I can get and that information was helpful.

Whenever you search for the Okta documentation, for example, if we search for cloud IDP and Microsoft-related documentation, it's only on Microsoft's site we get the help we need, including help from the community. Okta's community, when you Google it, is lacking because it only contains help or information about Okta products because Okta users are only able to use the product in a standard way.

This surprised me especially because Okta has such a good name, but the bottom line is, if you ask me as a decision-maker or the one who influences decisions in our organization, if I was going to choose Okta as our SSO provider, my answer will be flat NO.

The initial implementation of this solution took three months. It's a very simple and standard implementation, so that's never been a problem.

A hundred users are currently using this solution in our organization. It doesn't require heavy maintenance.

Working with Okta can be restrictive, and this is where Okta doesn't shine.

This solution is being used extensively in our organization. Increasing its usage will depend on whether they are able to convince the Infotech folks, and that's what's happening.

The advice I would give to others looking into implementing this solution is for them to first try to understand it. They should not confine themselves to selecting Okta, thinking that it's the end solution. They should look at their future needs too because once they implement Okta without considering their future needs, they will have to do a lot of hacks and tricks. Before they even delve into Okta, they have to first think about their future and how much this solution will cost in the long run.

This solution meets the need, but that's all, so I'm rating it a six out of ten.

We have been using this tool for access management. Our client has connected their app's security with Okta Workforce Identity. We have used LinkedIn's libraries to integrate it with various apps, including Oracle and others.

Workforce Identity offers a comprehensive access management solution with multi-factor authentication, total control, and features like app access management, identity governance, and administration tools such as certification and access request management. These are typically found in identity management solutions, but Okta integrates them seamlessly into its user interface.      

They should focus on providing top-notch team access management to companies.

I have been working with Okta Workforce Identity for the past 10 months.

It has proven to be stable in the time I've used it. If there are any challenges, their support team has been responsive and helpful. Overall, my experience with them has been positive.

It's scalable, but we need to coordinate with Okta's support team or our account manager if we want to increase our workload. Since it's a complete SaaS solution, they can make the necessary adjustments accordingly.

As premium customers, we have the opportunity to schedule calls directly with Okta's expert team members for discussions and support. It's a valuable perk of being a premium user.

Positive

I haven't personally handled the deployment, but I've worked on configuring the printer, which wasn't too complex. As for deployment time and manpower, it's a bit different since Okta Workforce Identity is a cloud-based platform. We don't need dedicated servers as Okta manages integration. We work on our own tenants, and Okta provides preview environments for testing new features. As for maintenance, it's not too difficult, especially for premium customers who can raise support tickets if needed.

I received good support for addressing some bugs, although there were delays in fixing them due to the product backlog and prioritization process at Okta. The resolution time depended on how they prioritized issues, which sometimes caused delays. Overall, I would rate it 7 out of 10.  

The primary use cases are SSO, user management, and SSO integration with various cloud services, including AWS, GCP, GitHub, etc.

The tool provides a single place of contact for managing users. We only need to manage users in Okta Workforce Identity, eliminating the need to duplicate efforts across different systems. For example, if a user needs to be decommissioned, we don't have to go through all the systems and cloud services; we delete the user in one place. This process is automated with our HR system for both organizations, simplifying user lifecycle management.

The main features we find most valuable are the single sign-on and the OTP authentication. The ability to connect via a PC or a mobile phone makes the process seamless.

The MFA feature enhances regular authentication through the user portal and utilizes one-time passwords generated from QR codes on mobile devices.

We faced some challenges during the Okta Identity Workforce deployment. Integrating with AWS and other cloud services posed some limitations with federated options. For instance, features like automatic user addition from AWS to the tool were missing, requiring manual intervention. The API is limited compared to the manual configuration possible through the UI.

I think Okta Workforce Identity could improve by making its API more robust, ensuring that all UI capabilities are exposed in the API. This is particularly important for integrating with other applications, such as AWS and other cloud providers.

I have been working with the product for six years. 

The licensing model is fine for general service usage. However, the charges for API features and API tokens can be quite high.

I would give Okta Workforce Identity a solid eight out of ten. There's always room for improvement, but overall, the tool performs well and meets our needs. The solution was my first experience with such products. Previously, I had used internal tools like Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Active Directory services within Azure, which were excellent for corporate environments. However, I find Okta Workforce Identity more suitable for startups.

We are a solution provider and Okta is one of the products that we implement for our clients. I am a solution architect and help to design the system.

Most of our clients have a hybrid architecture where they want to use a single sign-on. They have some applications on-premises, whereas others are on the public cloud. This means that they have a two-tier or three-tier architecture.

Our clients are happy because prior to implementation, they had a very distributed architecture. Okta has allowed them to consolidate with respect to identity management, which increases their operational efficiency.

This product has the features that every customer is looking for.

The most valuable features are ease of operation and visibility.

This product is easy to deploy and easy to manage.

There are cost benefits to using this solution.

The integration with third-party tools needs to be improved. Mainly, the open-source APIs for Splunk would be helpful, as that is where they aggregate most of the data. If this process can be streamlined then it will definitely help.

I have been working with Okta for the past three years.

This is a stable product.

This solution is scalable. Our clients are large, Fortune 500 businesses.

Okta has very good support and I would score them high, at nine out of ten. I am definitely happy with them.

Prior to working with Okta, our clients had native solutions.

The initial setup is straightforward.

We currently have one customer deployed on AWS and another on Azure.

I am the solution architect and our in-house team does the implementation.

As part of the process, our clients did a couple of POCs. Symantec was one of them, Okta was another, and there was a third product that they evaluated. During this process, they had success criteria defined, and Okta did well with most of it.

The metrics included the operation and cost benefits, the business value, and the support.

Every customer has a different need and a different requirement. For anybody who is considering this product, I think they should do a pilot POC to make sure that it works well in their environment. 

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

We implemented this solution for all employees within our environment. So, the entire single sign-on is through Okta for all of our employees through all applications.

Okta enables us to authenticate my users on cloud and SaaS applications such as Workday through Okta workflows.

I would like for the onboarding process for new solutions to be simplified because, right now, it is a very lengthy process.

We experienced some technical glitches that need to be resolved. 

I go into further detail below in the 'stability' section.

We implemented the solution one year ago.

The solution is pretty stable but we have experienced some glitches. We use Zscaler for our security encryption protection. Whenever Zscaler expired, Okta would stop working. We were able to fix this by storing the credentials and local mission that that we would be able to authenticate without Zscaler.

The solution is scalable both on-premise and on cloud. We currently have 36,000 users.

We have not had any major challenges over the past two years; however, they do offer quality customer service to all tickets.

The initial setup was straightforward.

We had a partner help us which made the implementation even easier. We have also outsourced a support party, Data Consultancy Services, to manage the solution for us - they have about three to four engineers manage the solution for us.

We are able to look at our ROI from this solution as an intangible benefit. The solution requires a lot of human capital but offers us security so in our opinion we have received a high ROI as this is something that we have planned for and invested in.

This is an expensive solution but the security makes it worthwhile.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

• User provisioning
• User deprovisioning
• App assignment
• SAML integrations

We are able to deploy solutions rapidly and also have a better idea on licensing as we can easily see who has access, who has been accessing and also who is not using an app.

I would like to see further integrations with applications and services such as Office 365.

Between my last two jobs, I have used it for about seven years.

We have not encountered any deployment issues whatsoever.

We have not encountered any stability issues; this is a very stable platform.

With over 2500 users, we have not encountered any scalability issues.

Customer service is excellent. We don't have to worry when we have an issue; they are always on top of it.

Technical support is 9/10; very professional and solid.

I have had experience with Ping and ADFS but not at the places I have worked; only with customers.

We do a lot with Okta but the setup was still very easy.

An in-house team implemented it.

We do things much faster and have a much better understanding of utilization and licensing. We are more agile and, therefore, more productive and faster to act.

It's worth the investment. Make sure you fully utilize Okta, even if it takes professional services.

Before choosing this product, we evaluated Ping and ADFS.

As an Okta Identity engineer, I implement Okta for different clients such as banks, telecoms, and insurance companies. These companies need an IAM solution to manage their employees securely and provide them with access to the right applications. Okta is used to automate provisioning and support any errors encountered during and after deployment. 

Companies use Okta Workforce Identity to manage their employees' secure access to applications and to minimize the effort required by IT teams to manage identities. The solution helps organizations allow their employees to log into their applications without re-entering credentials and securely access their applications via MFA.

The most valuable functions are Single Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). These two modules serve as dual components, essential for securing application access for employees.

Okta could improve by making their learning materials more user-friendly. They could also enhance the flexibility of their MFA feature, allowing clients to implement preferred MFA methods without restrictions.

I've been handling Okta Workforce Identity for five years now.

There might be occasional glitches or bugs that need improvement, so I would rate its stability as eight out of ten.

Okta scores a nine out of ten for scalability.

Okta support is efficient, actively responding on time. They deserve a rating of eight out of ten for their technical support.

Positive

I handle CyberArk IAM solutions alongside Okta. I find Okta to be more user-friendly and flexible than CyberArk, especially regarding MFA and SSO features.

The setup process for Okta is relatively straightforward and not overly complex.

Okta is one of the more expensive IAM solutions, and I would rate it an eight regarding cost.

The main competitor to Okta Workforce Identity is CyberArk Identity.

I would recommend Okta Workforce Identity to other users.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

We use the solution for application security.

The solution is an open platform. It integrates with multiple applications simultaneously.

The solution's pricing needs improvement.

It is a very scalable solution.

The solution's pricing model could be better for SMBs.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten.