Okta: Securing Identity in the Cloud?
April 26, 2012
One major issue that raises midsize firms’ worries about cloud computing is how to secure and verify identities and access in a cloud environment. Okta, founded by former executives from Salesforce.com, is one of the firms stepping in to offer assistance in cloud identity management.
The real challenge in managing and securing identities in the cloud is that there isn’t just one cloud. What is emerging is a complex pattern of public, private, and hybrid clouds. And user access must be coordinated among them. Before IT departments at midsize firms can confidently launch into the cloud(s), managers will need a comfort level that they can provide secure and controlled access to cloud-based data…
An Emerging Market
Okta is not a household word, even within the enterprise tech world. But it hopes to become one (as does at least one named competitor). David Rosenberg, writing at CNET, acknowledges that the market for cloud identity management services is an "early" market. That means it is too early to say what firms will end up firmly establishing themselves.
What is not in doubt is the need this market seeks to fill. Otka’s CEO, Todd McKinnon, points to converging trends in cloud computing, mobility, and data access as requiring a new set of solutions tailored to provide cloud identity and access management. Particular drivers for adoption of such solutions are regulatory compliance and the need for centralized oversight over the use of cloud-based apps.
This market is so new that its competitive picture is still filling out, but Symplified is mentioned in the piece, while Network Computing also mentions Lighthouse as offering a comparable identity and access management (IAM) service. As the need grows, expect to see more firms–including large ones–moving into this space.
A Growing Need
And the need will certainly grow. The cloud will probably not end up ruling the world as much as some commentators expect. Tools for onsite server management and virtualization support continue to progress along with the cloud itself. Midsize firms may find this option preferable for some of their needs, particularly for specialized tasks and maximal security.
On the other hand, the cloud certainly is not going away. The mobility era ensures a cloudy future. When multiple devices must all share data, that data effectively resides in a cloud even if one device supports that cloud in a local hard drive.
And this reality means that IT shops at midsize firms will need tools for handling identities and access in a cloudlike setting. So it can only be good news that the market is stepping forward to offer enterprise-strength identity management solutions.