Okta Review

There’s a myriad of options at our disposal when we want to manage our passwords online. Dozens of different services exist to create and manage online identities, but this can still become complex when we need certain things from our online identity management services.

Okta password manager is part of the larger Okta identity management network and provides a comprehensive solution for safely and securely managing passwords for a wide range of applications. With the excellent amount of integration potential that Okta commands, it comes as no surprise that it is one of the most recognized names in identity management today.

In order to get an idea of what this company can do for us, let’s take a look at some of the distinct advantages and disadvantages offered by Okta password manager.

Pros and cons

Like any password management service, there are things to like about Okta, as well as some areas where they tend to fall short. Luckily, Okta’s big name reputation shows through in this department, as the features are quite comprehensive, while the drawbacks are minimal.

Pros:

• Mobile device management. Okta lets you remotely monitor and manage permissions for mobile devices included in your service. This allows you to clearly see and manage the connections and credentials for all the team members you have connecting through mobile platforms.
• Okta allows you to set geographical zones for networks, for assigning network perimeters for added security.
• Okta provides comprehensive reporting for all kinds of metrics, including usage statistics and suspicious activity.
• Allows users to manage identities and attributes with ease.
• Multiple identity provider functionality. This means that users in your network will be able to use third-party social identification (such as Facebook) to confirm their identity.

As you can see, Okta password manager provides a comprehensive set of features that go well beyond the standards of most password management services. That being said, it wouldn’t be a very well-rounded review without acknowledging some of the disadvantages, as well.

Cons

• Some features, such as the social identity provider support, are experimental, and might not work as intended some of the time.
• Authentication for the functions that require on-premises AD requires expensive hardware.

As you can see, these are mostly nit-picky disadvantages, or ones that affect larger-scale companies who are more prepared to deal with them. The advantages still far outweigh the disadvantages, especially if your team or company is large enough to make full use of Okta’s extensive functionality.

Technical specifications

The Okta identity management network has an extensive list of good features, providing a relatively easy-to-use interface for creating, storing, and managing password for teams of professionals. These include automatic log in features, multiple factor authentication, and extensive security precautions.

Okta extensively employs Microsoft’s Active Directory software for managing user passwords and authentications, while also being able to integrate a wide range of services. Okta also allows users to synchronize passwords across vast security networks, as well as utilize third party data providers and single sign on features for a wide range of websites.

One of the cooler functions of Okta is the ability to source user data from wherever you want and configure the flow of this data according to your needs. For example, you can have info from your HR department integrate directly into Okta to avoid having to manually enter employee information for password management.

The last thing we should mention is the extensive reports that Okta makes available to its customers. These comprehensive reports give users accurate information on app usage, authentication requests, de-provisioning info, and suspicious activity.

Is Okta password manager safe?

Okta password manager, and the larger Okta identity management service, is well-established with a large amount of security precautions designed to keep users and their data safe from prying eyes and malicious actors. First off, Okta employs AES-256-bit encryption, which is a very secure standard considered to be nigh-unbreakable.

They also offer a large amount of customization for the flow of data, giving users complete control of their security features. On top of this, the client supports multi-factor authentication, which itself is more versatile than the simple two-factor authentication that most companies offer.

In addition, admins have full control over user permissions and data sources, which makes sure all the information and credentials for your team flow the way you want, and only get seen by the right people. The last major factor of Okta’s security is the no-knowledge architecture, which keeps your user data encrypted, and inaccessible through the actual architecture of Okta itself.

For more information on Okta’s security details, visit this page.

How to use Okta password manager

Admittedly, Okta password manager is a bit more complex than other clients, although it is definitely user-friendly enough to provide solutions for smaller-scale companies. Individuals looking for a good single identity-management service will probably find Okta to be a bit overly comprehensive, since they provide solutions to a wide range of identity management problems.

The client has support for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android, and allows for remote management of mobile device permissions and such from the desktop clients. There are also browser extensions for Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. For more information on how to use Okta, as well as which platforms and browsers are supported, click here.

One of the more advanced features of Okta is its integration potential. Okta can integrate or be integrated with a wide range of services, allowing for an extremely customizable range of practical applications.

Okta password manager pricing

The Okta identity management network has a wide range of services that all have their own pricing points, depending on the type of functionality and scale that users are looking for. For the sake of this review, we’ll be looking at their singular and enterprise-oriented identity management services.

The Developer package is available for between $0 and $1000 per month. The free version allows up to 1000 users, while the upper end of this package can support up to 50,000 users. This package is limited to 5 OIDC clients, and the support channels are limited to email-only.

The next package up is the One App package, which is available from $17k annually. This package gives you unlimited users, and opens up the support avenues like live chat. Add-on features such as multi-factor authentication are available for an additional fee.

The Enterprise plan starts at $42k annually, and throws in unlimited OIDS and SAML applications. For more information on Okta’s pricing and range of products, visit this page.

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