Okta Announces Cloud Identity Solution for SharePoint-Based Customer and Partner Portals

Integration With On-Premises SharePoint Enables Enterprises to Seamlessly and Securely Manage Access to Existing Infrastructure for External Users


SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 21, 2013) - Today, Okta announced a new integration of its cloud identity service with Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and 2013. The integrated solution allows enterprises to more seamlessly and securely collaborate with their customers and partners using the on-premises version of SharePoint in combination with Okta's cloud-based identity management service.

The integration enables IT administrators to manage customer or partner access to SharePoint with Okta in much the same way they would use Active Directory to manage employee access to an internal SharePoint-based portal. This hybrid architecture allows IT to leverage existing investments in SharePoint, and to simply and securely extend access to users outside of the company. There are no more security risks associated with adding non-employees to a corporate directory, and Okta's cloud-native architecture means there is no need to install, configure or maintain an additional on-premises directory.

"Traditionally, extending secure access to SharePoint for external users required administrators to either add those users to their existing employee directory, or set up and manage a new and separate directory. This is a significant and time consuming challenge that a lot of our customers deal with," said Mark Seeley, president of Intellinet, Microsoft Southeast Partner of the Year. "With this integration, administrators can now manage SharePoint user and group permissions in a single place -- within Okta."

Okta's integration with SharePoint is another major addition to the Okta Application Network, which includes integrations with more than 2,000 leading cloud and web applications. Additionally, Okta's SharePoint integration is the company's latest step in addressing enterprises' external-facing identity management needs. In June, Okta announced new functionality, including APIs, customization options and federated access into B2B portals, to help its customers more easily and securely collaborate with external users.

"Organizations everywhere are turning to Okta to manage the identity challenges associated with their customers and partners. Whether they are building a B2B partner portal or a new consumer-facing website -- or they are a software vendor launching a new SaaS offering -- we are seeing a tremendous amount of traction with external identity management," said Eric Berg, vice president of products, Okta. "With our cloud service, robust APIs and rich customizability, our customers can go live on very aggressive timelines. What's more, Okta's service includes a user store so customers can securely manage external users without creating an additional on-premises directory."

To learn more about Okta's SharePoint integration, please visit: http://www.okta.com/problems-we-solve/identity-for-sharepoint-portals.html.

About Okta

Okta is an enterprise-grade identity management service, built from the ground up in the cloud and designed to address the challenges of a cloud, mobile and interconnected business world. Okta integrates with existing directories and identity systems, as well as thousands of on-premises, cloud-based and mobile applications, to enable IT to securely manage access anywhere, anytime and from any device.

More than 400 enterprises, including Allergan, BMC Software, Clorox, London Gatwick Airport, LinkedIn, T.D. Williamson and SAP, use Okta to increase security and employee productivity, as well as lower IT costs and improve compliance. The hundreds of enterprises, thousands of cloud application vendors and millions of people using Okta today also form the foundation for the industry's first Enterprise Identity Network. Okta is backed by premier venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, Khosla Ventures and Sequoia Capital. To learn more about Okta, visit www.okta.com.

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Contact Information:

Media Contact:
Sara Schulte
press(at)okta(dot)com
415-625-8555