Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • IT Management

    Okta Boosts Single Sign-On for SaaS

    Written by

    Cameron Sturdevant
    Published March 19, 2012
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Okta provides on-demand, single sign-on and access management for organizations that use one or more cloud or Web applications during the workday.

      Okta isn€™t great at managing the log-in process for on-premise applications. Plus, IT managers who have a mix of cloud and on-premise apps may want to consider a more traditional identity and access management implementation from CA, NetIQ (which inherited the Novell identity management tools) or Oracle (which acquired Passlogix). The advantage that Okta has over the traditional tools is that it can roll out in days instead of weeks and likely with much less consulting or custom coding.

      My tests showed that out-of-the-box Okta was able to successfully manage the log-in process for nearly all my test cloud services. In the case where Okta did not already have an application in its library of nearly 1,250 cloud-based services, the company was able to deliver a solution in just about one day.

      The eponymously named Okta service offering was most recently revised in December 2011 and costs $10 per user per month for the enterprise edition that includes support for multiple apps, and identity and access management with reporting. If the commonly accepted benchmark of $25 per password reset cost is used, then an organization would see a return on investment after the fifth password reset in one year.

      IT managers should consider a number of other cost factors, including the reduction in overall lost productivity due to forgotten passwords and the increase in audit compliance provided by Okta€™s access-reporting capabilities.

      Okta competes directly with services, including OneLogin, and hybrid solutions, including Ping Identity and Symplified. Okta includes user integration, which is an add-on for $5-per-user-per-month Onelogin. Ping Identity’s Ping Federate is an on-premise appliance and meets a different use case where on-site control of user identity is critical. Symplified can be deployed on-premise or in the cloud and provides controlled access to both on-premise and cloud apps.

      To test the Okta system, I first entered a number of users into the platform. I could also have done this by integrating Okta with eWEEK Labs’ Microsoft Active Directory server.

      I accessed several cloud-based services, including Salesforce.com, Concur expense tracking, ADP payroll management and CopyCache, a content traffic and payments systems.

      Salesforce.com was the easiest and most straightforward log-in. As an Okta administrator, I first of all added the Salesforce.com application to the menu of applications that would be made available to my users. I then assigned users to the Salesforce.com application.

      IT managers should be aware that Okta requires that a browser helper object be installed. I was prompted to install the secure Web plug-in when accessing my test Okta instance from Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 10 and Chrome 17.

      After logging in to my Okta account, I was presented with an app store-like display of my applications. In my test set-up, I logged in to each application using credentials I knew. I could have set up Okta so that my users did not know the actual log-in credentials and accessed the cloud applications based on successfully authenticating to Okta.

      The second time I logged in to my Okta account, the single sign-on functionality worked as expected. When I logged on to Salesforce.com, I watched as my log-in was redirected to Salesforce secure log-in servers and then I was connected to my account. Logging in to ADP took me directly to my employee payroll and benefits page on the ADP portal.

      Where things didn€™t work so well, it was primarily because I had selected the wrong service. For example, the widely used Concur expense and travel management cloud service actually has several different online services. I selected what I thought was the main Concur service, only to find out from Okta tech support that I was in fact using the expense-tracking version.

      Click here to access additional analysis from eWEEK Labs on Okta.

      Cameron Sturdevant
      Cameron Sturdevant
      Cameron Sturdevant is the executive editor of Enterprise Networking Planet. Prior to ENP, Cameron was technical analyst at PCWeek Labs, starting in 1997. Cameron finished up as the eWEEK Labs Technical Director in 2012. Before his extensive labs tenure Cameron paid his IT dues working in technical support and sales engineering at a software publishing firm . Cameron also spent two years with a database development firm, integrating applications with mainframe legacy programs. Cameron's areas of expertise include virtual and physical IT infrastructure, cloud computing, enterprise networking and mobility. In addition to reviews, Cameron has covered monolithic enterprise management systems throughout their lifecycles, providing the eWEEK reader with all-important history and context. Cameron takes special care in cultivating his IT manager contacts, to ensure that his analysis is grounded in real-world concern. Follow Cameron on Twitter at csturdevant, or reach him by email at [email protected].

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.