The innovation center will spearhead Okta’s growth in the Indian sub-continent and promote India’s innovation in digital identity
Investment in India will create hundreds of cloud and cybersecurity jobs over the next three years
Bengaluru, India, August 9, 2023 Okta, the leading independent identity provider, today announced the opening of a new office in India as part of its ongoing commitment to driving secure digital transformation across Asia Pacific and world-class customer support. The company’s Indian headquarters will be located in S.R. Nagar, Bengaluru, serving as a hub for Okta’s operations in the Indian subcontinent. It will be joined by a planned state-of-the-art R&D center supporting the development of Okta’s identity solutions around the world.
“We are excited to enter the Indian market and bring industry-leading identity to the country’s innovative businesses and government agencies,” said Todd McKinnon, Okta’s CEO and Co-Founder. “We are deeply committed to supporting India’s growing digital economy and freeing everyone to safely use any technology.”
The digital identity market is growing briskly due to demand growth driven by rising cyber fraud and an increased need for authentication. There is a tremendous opportunity for India. A recent report by Avendus Capital states that India is expected to increase its cybersecurity spending by 18% between 2020 and 2025. The report also noted the shift in services towards cloud-based solutions and zero-trust architecture.
“India is renowned for its technological innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. By establishing a dedicated presence here, we are better positioned to serve our Indian customers and partners, foster local innovation, and contribute to the continued growth of the Indian technology and cybersecurity landscape,” said Ben Goodman, Okta SVP and GM for Asia Pacific and Japan.
Building an Identity Ecosystem for Indian Customers and Partners
In tandem with this market growth, Okta will continue to expand its presence, strengthen its partner ecosystem, and enhance customer support. By establishing a physical presence in India, Okta will strengthen its ability to meet the evolving needs of local customers, partners, and developers and deepen its engagement within the region’s thriving technology community.
Okta has already made early inroads into the country through its VC arm, Okta Ventures, which invested in Bureau ID, an AI-powered identity decisioning platform provider. Bureau ID counts Indian household names like Bajaj Finserv, IIFL, Rapido, Kreditbee, Mahindra Finance, and SBM Bank as customers.
Okta is also working with Darwinbox, India’s leading HCM platform, on an out-of-the-box integration to deliver seamless and secure access to Darwinbox services through the Okta Integration Network (OIN). This adds to the 7000+ pre-built integrations in OIN that help Okta customers securely accelerate their journey to the cloud.
Okta’s workforce identity and customer identity management solutions are trusted by organizations worldwide to secure and manage access to their critical applications and data. With the Indian market experiencing significant digital transformation across various sectors, Okta’s presence will enable local businesses to enhance security, streamline identity processes, and accelerate digital initiatives.
“India is in the thick of a digital revolution, and identity and access management have become crucial elements for organisations across industries,” said Atul Agarwal, Okta India country head. “We are excited to be able to work closely with our customers and partners here, enabling them to embrace the power of identity to drive secure and seamless digital experiences for their users.”
The new office will also enable Okta to work closely with Indian policymakers and educational institutions so that it can deliver better customer value and play a bigger role in developing cybersecurity talent in the country. Okta will also be partaking in more large deployments and developing integrations that are more tailored to Indian enterprises’ needs.
Plans for the Okta Global Innovation Center
In conjunction with the new office opening, Okta is also proud to share that Bangalore will be the site of its first innovation centre in Asia-Pacific.
With the abundance of tech, engineering, and R&D talent in India, the centre will serve as a collaborative space for customers, partners, and developers to ideate, experiment, and co-create innovative solutions leveraging Okta’s identity management platform.
“The Global Innovation Center underscores Okta’s commitment to driving innovation within the digital identity space while reinforcing its position as a trusted partner for organisations embracing the future of secure and frictionless digital experiences,” said Sagnik Nandy, President and Chief Development Officer at Okta. “This facility will spearhead Okta’s global research efforts in Engineering, finance, and Solutions Engineering.”
“Okta is a proud recipient of Great Place to Work awards in multiple countries,” said Okta Asia Vice President Neville Vincent. “Employees underpin our success, and we are certainly looking to put our Indian colleagues’ workplace experience on par with their counterparts in the rest of the world.”
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