Okta New Security Standard to Be Adopted by Google and Microsoft

Okta, a leading provider of identity and access management (IAM) solutions, unveiled a groundbreaking new standard for secure identity in the enterprise at its annual conference, Oktane. The new framework, known as the Interoperability Profile for Secure Identity in the Enterprise (IPSIE), is an open-source initiative designed to strengthen the security of SaaS-based identities by establishing a unified set of best practices and guidelines for the tech industry.

Strengthening Security with IPSIE

The IPSIE standard introduces a secure-by-design approach, meaning that security is built into cloud applications from the start. According to Arnab Bose, Chief Product Officer for Workforce Identity Cloud at Okta, IPSIE is about ensuring that both businesses and users have better Cybersecurity protection against cyber threats.
“The future of the industry rests not just in securing identity, but also in having a secure identity standard that is open and available to everyone. IPSIE will help standardize identity security to make everyone more secure and elevate the entire tech industry to be better protected from attacks,” said Bose.

The new security standard is set to improve existing identity management features, such as:

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Lifecycle management

Governance and privileged access

Risk signal sharing

Session termination

In addition to strengthening these features, IPSIE will provide better visibility into identity-related threats and enhance the overall security of cloud applications. By making applications secure-by-default, IPSIE ensures they are protected from the ground up.

Adoption by Major Companies

Companies like Microsoft and Google have already committed to adopting the IPSIE framework. Okta has collaborated with a range of software vendors, building over 125 integrations with popular enterprise applications, including Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365, Slack, and Atlassian. These integrations ensure that applications widely used by businesses today will align with the security standards provided by IPSIE, making them safer for users and easier to manage for IT departments.

Simplified Multi-Factor Authentication and Single Sign-On

As part of its ongoing efforts to improve the user experience, Okta has announced a new feature called Extended Device Single Sign-On (SSO), which will be available in early 2025. This new capability aims to simplify the multi-factor authentication (MFA) process by reducing the number of authentication prompts users face.

With Extended Device SSO, users will need to authenticate only once per device login, after which they can access multiple applications, such as Office 365, Google Workspace, Slack, and Zoom, without having to re-authenticate. This improves the user experience while also providing a high level of security.

In addition to IPSIE, Okta is expanding its efforts to provide stronger identity verification by partnering with trusted third-party identity verification providers, including Clear, Persona, Incode, Socure, Onfido, and LexisNexis. These partnerships will add extra layers of verification for businesses that require enhanced identity proofing, ensuring that users are correctly identified before accessing critical cloud applications.