Let’s quickly compare Microsoft Entra Vs Okta using Gartner research. For their analysis, Gartner looked into several factors, such as ease of use, innovation, sync options, etc. More details are available in the below sections of the post.
Let’s dive into Gartner’s identity and access management (IAM) solutions research. Microsoft’s Entra ID, previously recognized as Azure AD, shines with distinct capabilities and considerations.
Microsoft, Okta, and some other vendors have been declared a “Leader” in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Access Management in 2023. Microsoft is one of the leading vendors in Identity and Access Management (IAM).
Let’s discuss into the distinct features of Microsoft’s Entra ID and other prominent vendors within the Leaders section of the Magic Quadrant. Entra ID has earned high credit for its overall viability, underlined by an impressive user base of 700,000 paid clients.
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What is Entra ID?
Entra ID (Azure AD) is part of Microsoft Entra, an enterprise Identity and Access Management (IAM) SaaS solution. Entra ID is part of the IAM product family named Microsoft Entra.
To improve visibility and control, it centrally manages all your identities and access to your applications, whether in the cloud or on-premises.
Who are Some Other Vendors in the Magic Quadrant for IAM’s Leaders Section, and What Sets them Apart?
Other notable vendors in the Leaders section include IBM, Forgerock, Ping Identity, and Okta. Each brings unique strengths to the IAM landscape. IBM offers holistic solutions, Forgerock is known for innovation, Ping Identity focuses on identity protection, and Okta excels in cloud-centric IAM solutions.
What does Gartner Define as Access Management (AM)?
Gartner defines access management (AM) as platforms that incorporate an identity provider (IDP) and establish, manage, and enforce runtime access controls for cloud, modern standards-based web, and classic web applications.
Microsoft Entra Vs Okta by Gartner Research
Entra ID strengthens security by implementing advanced features such as multifactor authentication (MFA) and adaptive access controls. This ensures that only authorized personnel gain access to sensitive information and resources.
Vendors in the Magic Quadrant
Let’s discuss the Vendors in the Magic Quadrant. In the leaders section, the vendors are Microsoft, Okta, Ping Identity, ForgeRock and IBM. Let’s discuss all these in detail.
Microsoft Leadership and Innovations in Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Discuss Microsoft Leadership and Innovations in Identity and Access Management (IAM). Microsoft is a leader in Magic Quadrants, showing its Identity and Access Management (IAM) skills.
Microsoft’s IAM key components include Microsoft Entra ID (previously Azure AD) and Azure AD External Identities. It is designed for workforce, customer identity, and access management (CIAM).
- Free Entra Training Videos | Start Learning Entra ID Azure AD
- Azure AD App Proxy Latest Enhancements and Premium Version of Entra App Proxy
Strengths of Microsoft
Let’s discuss the Strengths of Microsoft. The list below helps you show Microsoft’s strengths.
- Microsoft has the highest scores for overall viability, marketing execution, business model, and sales execution/pricing.
- They boast an extensive user base with 700,000 paid clients.
- Microsoft’s pricing, especially for CIAM use cases, is below the market average, making it an attractive choice for organizations.
- Market Understanding
- Microsoft leads in threat reporting and Incident Response (ITDR)
Cautions and Challenges for Microsoft
Let’s discuss Microsoft Entra ID cautions and challenges. The below list helps to illustrate them as per the research paper.
- The B2C and B2B aspects of Azure AD External Identities are considered less mature than leaders’ other solutions.
- Extensive rebranding exercises, like Microsoft Entra, can create confusion about features and functionalities, particularly evident in Gartner client inquiries.
- Certain features, such as Entra ID Protection in Microsoft Entra ID, may require extra licensing, which could result in additional costs.
- Microsoft Entra ID received the lowest score among all leaders for customization and extensibility.
Read more about What is Entra Global Secure Access? and Download Microsoft Entra Architecture Icons.
Okta Position in the Magic Quadrant
Okta, another significant player, has showcased notable growth in CIAM and solid overall performance. Yet, Okta faces challenges, particularly in pricing, prompting discussions with clients for better rates. Integrating Okta’s distinct platforms for the workforce and CIAM poses a potential complexity.
Okta provides an extensive catalog of external Identity Provider (IdP) integrations, especially for Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM). Okta achieves one of the highest scores for user authentication and threat reporting.
- It showcases remarkable growth in CIAM and overall client numbers
- It also shows thought leadership in multidevice FIDO credentials.
Ping Identity Leadership in the Magic Quadrant
Ping Identity stands out with the most complete vision, attaining the highest score for its offering strategy and innovation. It also achieved the highest score in market responsiveness and track record.
- Ping Identity provides mature capabilities for customer and partner Access Management (AM) use cases.
ForgeRock Leadership in the Magic Quadrant
ForgeRock has the highest score for product capabilities, particularly in features for business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C), customer identity and access management (CIAM), authorization, and adaptive access.
- It distinguishes itself with various no-code/low-code approaches and enhances accessibility for users with different technical backgrounds.
IBM Leadership in the Magic Quadrant
IBM exhibits a strong and improved Completeness of Vision, securing one of the highest scores for its product strategy (roadmap). IBM’s current offering excels in consent management capabilities, particularly for Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) use cases.
- IBM provides good value to its clients, consistently offering lower prices than its competitors.
- IBM earns the highest score for geographic strategy by introducing new cloud regions to cover strategic areas like the United States, the U.S. federal government, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, and Australia.
Key Innovations in Microsoft Entra
Let’s discuss the key innovations in Microsoft Entra. Microsoft Entra is an online protector. It safeguards things from digital threats and makes securing access to everything from anywhere more accessible. The following are the key innovations in Microsoft Entra.
The below innovations show Microsoft Entra’s commitment to simplifying access security for everyone, covering a wide range of features and services.
| Innovation | Description |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Entra ID Governance | A complete identity governance solution ensures explicit access control. This cloud-delivered product enhances identity and access lifecycle management, simplifying access governance across on-premises, software as a service, and cloud apps/resources. |
| Phishing-Resistant Authentication Methods | Users can now sign in using passkeys from the Microsoft Authenticator app, which is FIPS 140-compliant for iOS and Android. They also added customization for cloud-based certificate-based authentication (CBA) solutions. |
| Microsoft Entra ID Protection | Proactive identity protection in real-time. Features include a new dashboard with enhanced security insights and recommendations, new risk detections preventing early-phase attacks, and integration with Microsoft Defender XDR to correlate incidents. Strict location enforcement capabilities added to continuous access evaluation (CAE). |
| Microsoft Entra External ID (Preview) | Preview of unified capabilities in the next-gen customer identity and access management platform. Unifies secure experiences for all external identities in a developer-centric platform, integrating the latest security and governance features of Microsoft Entra ID with deep connections across Microsoft Security. |
| Identity-Centric Security Service Edge | Introduction of Microsoft Entra Internet Access and Microsoft Entra Private Access. Unifies identity and network access controls under a single policy engine, extending universal Conditional Access controls to any user and resource across identity, endpoint, and network. Expanding the Entra portfolio to a comprehensive security solution. |
Microsoft Entra Product Family
Let’s discuss the Microsoft Entra product family. Its comprehensive suite addresses various identity, security, and access management aspects. Let’s take a closer look at the key members of this family.
- Microsoft Entra ID – It ensures users secure access to digital resources.
- Microsoft Entra Permissions Management – This product helps organizations efficiently manage and control permissions across their digital infrastructure.
- Microsoft Entra External ID – This product provides a robust platform for creating secure and engaging experiences for external identities, including customers, partners, and more.
- Microsoft Entra Verified ID introduces a new layer of security by offering a decentralized approach to managing and verifying user identities.
- Microsoft Entra Identity Governance – This product ensures precise control over access, helping organizations manage the right people’s access to the right resources at the right time.
- Microsoft Entra Workload ID – This product provides advanced security and governance to entities such as machines and systems, ensuring their identities are managed effectively.
- Microsoft Entra Internet Access – This product focuses on securing web access, ensuring users’ safe and controlled online experience.
- Microsoft Entra Private Access – This solution enhances security by providing controlled access to network resources based on identity verification.
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Author
About the Author – Vidya is a computer enthusiast. She loves writing about Windows 11 and related technologies. She is also keen on finding solutions and writing about day-to-day tech problems.
Entra ID with new features released every other month can be tough competition for Okta in IAM space. But most of these features requires more licenses as add on which can be more costlier than Okta.