Certified Okta Administrator, Consultant, and Developer professionals ready to deliver workforce and customer identity programmes.
What Okta Does
Okta operates in the access management layer of the identity stack — a different problem space from governance tools like SailPoint or privileged access management tools like CyberArk. Where those platforms control who has access and protect sensitive credentials, Okta controls how verified users authenticate and authorises their access to applications in real time. The platform is cloud-native, API-first, and multi-tenant, which means it reaches across an organisation's entire application estate — cloud SaaS, on-premises apps bridged through Okta Gateway, and internally developed applications — from a single control plane.
Okta operates two distinct product lines. Workforce Identity Cloud serves employees, contractors, and partners. Customer Identity Cloud (built on the Auth0 platform acquired in 2021) serves external consumers and business partners interacting with customer-facing applications.
2009
Okta founded
Todd McKinnon and Frederic Kerrest
$6.5B
Auth0 acquisition
completed May 2021
WIC + CIC
Cloud product split
Workforce + Customer
Modules We Staff For
The Workforce Identity Cloud has grown into a broad platform:
Single Sign-On (SSO) — SAML 2.0 and OIDC application integrations from the OIN (Okta Integration Network) and custom configurations. Our consultants configure application integrations, attribute mappings, and sign-on policies, including context-aware rules that vary authentication requirements by network zone, device posture, or user risk score.
Adaptive MFA — Okta Verify, FIDO2/WebAuthn, SMS OTP, and hardware token integrations. Adaptive policies that step up authentication based on risk signals are a core Okta differentiator and a common implementation focus.
Lifecycle Management — automated joiner-mover-leaver flows driven by HR systems (Workday, BambooHR, SAP SuccessFactors) via SCIM provisioning or Okta's native HR connectors. Our consultants design the attribute mapping, group push logic, and deprovisioning rules that keep application access in sync with HR events.
Frequently asked questions
What Okta products and modules do your consultants cover?
Our bench spans the full Workforce Identity Cloud — SSO, Adaptive MFA, Lifecycle Management (automated provisioning and de-provisioning via SCIM and HR-driven flows), Universal Directory, API Access Management, Okta Workflows (no-code automation), and the newer Identity Governance module. On the Customer Identity side we staff Auth0 consultants across custom databases, social connections, Actions, machine-to-machine flows, and B2B organisation management.
Can you help migrate from Ping or ADFS to Okta?
Yes, legacy SSO migration is one of our most common Okta engagements. Our architects map existing Ping FederationServer or ADFS relying party trusts to Okta application integrations, handle SAML assertion attribute mapping differences, plan the cutover sequence to minimise user disruption, and configure fallback authentication paths during the transition window. We also handle CA SiteMinder to Okta migrations for organisations on older web access management platforms.
How do you scope an Auth0 engagement differently from a Workforce Identity project?
Auth0 is a separate engineering discipline. The focus shifts from enterprise federation to developer-facing identity APIs, B2C registration and login flows, custom Actions (the replacement for legacy Rules and Hooks), custom database connections, multi-tenant organisation management, and machine-to-machine credential flows. We staff Auth0 consultants with a software development background rather than enterprise IAM administrators.
Do your Okta consultants work with Okta Identity Governance?
Yes. Okta Identity Governance (OIG) is the IGA layer that sits on top of Workforce Identity Cloud, adding access certification, access requests, and entitlement management without requiring a separate IGA product. Several of our consultants hold experience with both Okta OIG and standalone IGA platforms, which is valuable for clients evaluating whether to consolidate on Okta or retain a separate SailPoint programme.
Universal Directory — Okta's cloud directory that stores user profiles, custom attributes, and group memberships. Integrates with Active Directory and LDAP via the Okta AD Agent.
API Access Management — Okta as an OAuth 2.0 authorisation server for internal and third-party API security, including custom scopes, claims, and access policies.
Okta Workflows — a no-code automation layer that connects Okta events to downstream actions in third-party systems (Slack, Jira, ServiceNow, and custom APIs). Increasingly used for approval-based access requests and identity event-driven orchestration.
Identity Governance — access certification campaigns and entitlement management built natively into the Okta platform, reducing the need for a separate IGA tool in some environments.
Typical Integration Surfaces
Okta's value is proportional to the breadth of applications connected to it. Common integration patterns our consultants implement include:
SAML to on-premises applications — legacy enterprise applications that support SAML 2.0 federation but not modern OIDC. We configure the Okta SAML app, handle attribute statement mapping, and troubleshoot assertion signing and certificate rotation issues.
OIDC for cloud-native apps — applications built on OAuth 2.0 and OIDC that consume Okta as the authorisation server. We configure authorization code with PKCE flows, handle refresh token policies, and design scope and claim structures for fine-grained access.
SCIM provisioning — automated account lifecycle across SaaS applications that expose a SCIM 2.0 endpoint. We configure provisioning policies, attribute mappings, entitlement push rules, and deprovisioning workflows.
Okta Workflows — custom no-code automations for use cases outside standard lifecycle flows. Examples include approval-based access for sensitive applications, automated Slack notifications on account changes, and entitlement synchronisation with ticketing systems.
Custom hooks and inline hooks — real-time policy extensions that call external APIs during the authentication or registration flow. Used for legacy directory lookups, fraud signals, and custom attribute enrichment.
Auth0 Consultancy
Auth0 (Customer Identity Cloud) is a distinct engineering discipline from Workforce Identity. Our Auth0 consultants come from software development backgrounds and are comfortable with:
Custom database connections — connecting Auth0 login flows to legacy user stores that cannot migrate to the Auth0 directory immediately.
Actions — the modern replacement for Rules and Hooks. We write Actions in JavaScript/Node for login enrichment, MFA step-up triggers, progressive profiling, and post-registration workflows.
B2B organisation management — Auth0 Organizations for multi-tenant SaaS applications, configuring per-organisation SSO connections, branding, and member management.
Machine-to-machine flows — client credentials grants for service-to-service API security, managing credential rotation and scope assignment.
Certifications
The Okta certification track provides four main credentials relevant to our bench:
We require at minimum Certified Administrator for all active Okta workforce identity bench consultants.
Engagement Shapes
Migrations from legacy SSO — replacing Ping Identity FederationServer, CA SiteMinder, or Microsoft ADFS is the most common project archetype. Our consultants map existing relying party trusts to Okta app integrations, plan the directory synchronisation, handle attribute mapping differences, and run parallel-operation periods to de-risk the cutover.
Net-new Okta-first builds — greenfield Okta deployments for organisations standardising on cloud identity from the outset. These engagements cover directory design, MFA policy architecture, HR-driven lifecycle configuration, and application integration sequencing.
Ongoing platform administration — retainer-based access to Okta expertise for certificate renewals, new application onboarding, policy tuning, and incident response.
Where to Go Next
If you are staffing a programme that combines access management with identity governance and privileged access, explore our IAM Architect role page for the profile of the senior resource who typically oversees the full identity stack. For a broader view of our access management and IGA practice, visit the IAM staffing overview page.