Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ: OKTA), the leading independent identity provider, has introduced Okta Device Access, a new product that allows organizations to enhance the security of corporate devices for hybrid workforces through Okta’s Identity and Access Management (IAM) capabilities.
Okta Introduces Okta Device Access to Help Organizations Mature their Zero Trust Strategy
As part of Okta‘s Workforce Identity Cloud, this solution provides stronger authentication for device access, enabling organizations to achieve zero trust while simplifying the login experience for employees. Okta Device Access is part of Okta’s broader efforts to go beyond traditional multi-factor authentication (MFA) and enable phishing resistance and passwordless capabilities.
Verizon‘s 2022 Data Breach Investigation Report highlights that identity-based attacks, including stolen credentials and phishing attacks, continue to be a persistent threat, accounting for over 60% of security incidents. As remote and hybrid workforces expand, the protection of access to corporate devices becomes a top priority. The report also reveals that lost or stolen desktops and laptops were responsible for approximately 60% of security incidents related to missing or stolen assets, surpassing mobile phones and other devices.
Against this backdrop, organizations are increasingly focused on safeguarding user and device identities. Okta Device Access allows businesses to secure access to both devices and applications, enabling them to future-proof their hybrid work strategies and enable employees to work safely and seamlessly from anywhere.
Arnab Bose, Chief Product Officer, Workforce Identity at Okta, emphasized the importance of identity as the first line of defense in a hybrid world of cloud applications and devices. Okta aims to empower IT and security teams to protect the enterprise across all touchpoints without compromising productivity or agility. As part of this commitment, Okta is investing in becoming a first-party player in the device security space, offering customers a unified authentication experience from any device to all applications. This empowers customers to implement zero trust and use any technology securely.
Okta Device Access brings the trusted login experience for seamless access to business apps to the point of device login, providing unified access management for immediate productivity gains. Administrators can integrate authentication policies across all user touchpoints, while employees can securely sign into their work devices and applications with a unified access experience, reducing the number of passwords attackers can exploit.
Maintaining its independence and neutrality, Okta Device Access seamlessly works across devices, allowing customers to build the best-of-breed technology architecture of their choice. It currently supports Windows and macOS, with support for additional operating systems planned for the future.
Okta Device Access is launching with two key capabilities: Desktop MFA for Windows and macOS and Desktop Password Sync for macOS. Desktop MFA enhances zero trust strategies by extending Okta’s Advanced MFA policies to desktop login, strengthening security for local data, native apps, and non-internet-facing services.
Desktop Password Sync, developed in partnership with Jamf and leveraging Apple’s Platform Single Sign-On Extension, securely provisions local macOS user accounts with Okta credentials and seamlessly enrolls users into Okta Verify and FastPass, Okta’s flagship passwordless authenticator, enabling phishing-resistant authentication to any Okta-protected app. Organizations can also incorporate relevant device context into their authentication flows and enhance security through Device Assurance capabilities in Okta Verify.
John McLeod, Chief Information Security Officer at NOV, a technology solutions provider for the global energy industry, expressed the importance of safe access to digital resources for their employees, especially with operations spanning multiple regions. Okta Device Access aligns with their zero trust journey by providing seamless access while ensuring device protection.
With Okta Device Access, Okta aims to unify access to all the resources employees need for safe and productive work from anywhere. By extending their IAM capabilities from applications to devices, customers can advance their zero trust strategies with identity-powered security and a reimagined single sign-on experience across all touchpoints.
