Okta deepens commitment to APAC with new Indian office

Okta has announced the opening of a new office in India as part of its ongoing commitment to growth within Asia Pacific and commitment to customer support.

The company's Indian headquarters will be located in S.R. Nagar, Bengaluru serving as hub for Okta's operations in the Indian subcontinent, the company states. It will be joined by a planned state-of-the art R&D center supporting development of Okta's identity solutions around the world.

Todd McKinnon, Okta's CEO and Co-Founder, says, "We are excited to enter the Indian market and bring industry-leading identity to the country's innovative businesses and government agencies. 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, the company states.

There is a notable opportunity for India. A recent report by Avendus Capital states that India is expected to increase its cybersecurity spending by 18% between 2020 to 2025. The report also noted the shift in services towards cloud-based solutions and zero-trust architecture.

Ben Goodman, Okta SVP and GM for Asia Pacific and Japan, says, "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."

Building an identity ecosystem for Indian customers

In tandem with this market growth, Okta states the company will continue to expand its presence, strengthen its partner ecosystem and enhance customer support.

By establishing a physical presence in India, Okta aims to 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 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+ library of pre-built integrations in OIN that helps 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.

Atul Agarwal, Okta India Country Head, says, "India is in the thick of a digital revolution, and identity and access management has become a crucial element for organizations across industries."

"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."

According to the company, the new office will also enable Okta to work closely with Indian policy makers 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 Okta global innovation centre

In conjunction with the new office opening, Okta is also planning for Bangalore to 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 company states.

Sagnik Nandy, President and Chief Development Officer at Okta, says, "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 organizations embracing the future of secure and frictionless digital experiences."

"This facility will spearhead Okta's global research efforts in Engineering, Finance and Solutions Engineering."