Identity and access management (IAM) firm Okta will be launching a new platform named Okta Device Access. The company says that the application aims to simplify logins, add stronger authentication features and enable a zero trust security environment, all on a subscriber’s desktop or other devices in hybrid work environments. The new offering is planned to be part of Okta’s Workforce Identity Cloud service.
The Okta Device Access service will be launched with two capabilities, desktop multifactor authentication (MFA) for Windows and macOS, and Desktop Password Sync for macOS. Desktop MFA brings Okta’s MFA policies to desktop logins to protect local data, native apps, and non-internet-facing services on desktop computers. Desktop Password Sync for macOS is a feature that will provision local macOS user accounts with Okta credentials and enroll them into Okta Verify and FastPass, Okta’s flagship passwordless authenticators.
Okta Device Access is said to focus on unifying access management for hybrid workflows. This means that the software brings the same login interface used by Okta customers to access their business applications to the point of device login. The aim of this feature is to reduce the number of passwords that employees need to remember and customers can remember to make it easier to access their work applications on different devices.
The offering intends to work across a wide range of devices, securing workforce identities on Windows and macOS devices. The company plans to extend the application to more systems shortly. One benefit of Okta Device Access is the extension of the zero-trust paradigm to the desktop, ESG’s Poller said. Zero trust is predicated on phishing-resistant authentication, and any organization moving to a zero-trust cybersecurity strategy needs to have phishing-resistant authentication on desktop computers.
Desktop MFA for Windows is planned to be available in an early access program in Q3 while Desktop Password Sync for macOS is expected to follow suit. Desktop MFA for macOS is planned to be available in Q4 while general availability for all versions is expected to begin in Q1 2024. The company has not yet provided pricing details.
This announcement is important, as it signals a shift from cloud-native authentication to wherever and however authentication is required, said Adam Mansour, director of strategy at Sift Security, which provides cloud-native security and risk analytics for the public cloud. “Okta is a leader in IAM and their Device Access offering bridges a critical gap for their enterprise clients operating in hybrid cloud environments,” he added.
This more unified approach to access management could be transformative for companies seeking to move away from multiple passwords and verification techniques across devices. Okta’s clients will no longer need to remember a variety of passwords, instead of relying on a single, unified system. This adds another layer of security by simplifying the authentication process for companies operating in a hybrid cloud environment with a bring-your-own-device policy.