
In the complex and critical world of identity and access management (IAM), trust and reliability are paramount. Okta, a leading independent identity provider, understands this better than most, not just as a vendor but as a primary user of its own comprehensive suite of solutions. The "Okta on Okta" philosophy—essentially "eating their own dogfood"—is a core tenet of their development process and security culture. By deploying its own products to secure its global workforce, manage access to thousands of applications, and protect its infrastructure, Okta gains invaluable firsthand experience that directly shapes the robustness, usability, and innovation of the platform it offers to its customers.

### Customer Zero: Deploying and Refining from the Inside Out

Okta doesn't just preach a security-first approach; it practices it internally, often making its own employees the first and most critical users of new features and products. A prime example is the internal deployment of **Okta Device Access**, a solution designed to enhance device security posture. In an insightful [Okta blog post titled "Insights from Our Experience: Okta deploys Okta Device Access,"](https://www.okta.com/blog/2025/04/insights-from-our-experience-okta-deploys-okta-device-access/) the company details its journey of rolling out Desktop MFA to its workforce.

The internal Okta technology team identified pilot groups, gathered user feedback, and refined support documentation throughout the deployment. The post explicitly states: "**Beyond improving our security posture, this experience proved an excellent opportunity to gather helpful feedback on the overall product design and user experience, which has helped inform the Okta Device Access roadmap.**" This is a clear demonstration of how internal challenges and successes directly translate into product improvements for external customers. The process helped find edge cases and informed future development, including new recovery flows to reduce support burden.

### The Okta Secure Identity Commitment: Leading by Example

Okta's commitment to internal adoption is further underscored by its **Okta Secure Identity Commitment**. This initiative, often championed by CEO Todd McKinnon, emphasizes a relentless investment in a defense-in-depth and Zero Trust security architecture—principles applied vigorously to Okta's own corporate infrastructure.

A key aspect of this commitment, as highlighted in an [Okta newsroom post](https://www.okta.com/en-nl/newsroom/press-releases/introducing-the-okta-secure-identity-commitment/), is "modeling security best practices to our customers." Okta proudly states: "**We have 100% of Okta employees using FastPass and phishing resistant passwordless authentication, and we encourage customers to do the same.**" By mandating strong authentication for its own workforce, Okta not only enhances its internal security but also validates the usability and effectiveness of its most advanced security features in a large-scale, real-world environment.

### Securing a Global, Hybrid Workforce with Okta

Like many of its customers, Okta operates with a globally distributed and often hybrid workforce. This makes its own internal environment a perfect proving ground for the entire Okta Workforce Identity Cloud, including:

* **Single Sign-On (SSO):** Okta employees use Okta SSO to seamlessly and securely access the thousands of cloud and on-premise applications necessary for their daily work. This constant internal use helps refine the SSO experience, the Okta Integration Network (OIN) which boasts over 7,000 integrations, and the overall admin and end-user usability.
* **Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):** As a leader in MFA, Okta ensures its own employees are protected by strong authentication methods. This internal deployment across a diverse user base helps them understand the practicalities of various factors and enrollment processes.
* **Universal Directory:** Managing identities for all its employees and contractors relies on its own Universal Directory, ensuring that features for provisioning, de-provisioning, and attribute management are robust and scalable.
* **Lifecycle Management:** The onboarding and offboarding of Okta employees are managed using Okta Lifecycle Management, streamlining IT processes and enhancing security. Experiencing these workflows internally helps identify areas for automation and improvement.
* **Advanced Server Access & API Access Management:** Protecting its own critical infrastructure and APIs with solutions like Okta Advanced Server Access and API Access Management allows Okta to understand the nuances of securing modern, ephemeral infrastructure and microservices from an operator's perspective.

### The Benefits of "Okta on Okta"

This deep internal reliance on its own products yields significant advantages:

* **Enhanced Product Quality & Security:** Rigorous internal use by a security-conscious workforce helps identify and remediate vulnerabilities and usability issues before they impact customers. Okta's [Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL)](https://www.okta.com/sites/default/files/2025-02/Okta%20Secure%20Development%20Lifecycle_8.5x11_Whitepaper_FINAL.pdf) outlines comprehensive security practices, and using their own tools to secure this process adds another layer of validation.
* **Deep Customer Empathy:** Okta's product teams gain a profound understanding of the challenges IT and security professionals face when deploying and managing identity solutions. This empathy translates into more intuitive products and better customer support.
* **Faster Innovation Cycles:** The direct feedback loop from internal users allows for quicker iterations and refinements. New ideas and features can be prototyped and tested within Okta's own environment, accelerating the path to market.
* **Credibility and Trust:** When Okta showcases how it secures its own enterprise, it builds significant credibility with prospective and existing customers. They are not just selling a vision; they are living it. This is often a theme at their [Oktane conferences](https://www.okta.com/blog/2024/10/oktane-2024-the-future-of-identity-security/), where the company shares its own journey and learnings.

### Driving the Future of Identity Security

Okta's vision, as articulated by its leadership, is to free everyone to safely use any technology. By being its own most demanding customer, Okta puts its identity platform to the ultimate test every day. This internal proving ground ensures that as the threat landscape evolves and new identity challenges emerge (like securing AI agents and non-human identities, as mentioned in a recent [Okta platform innovations announcement](https://investor.okta.com/news-and-events/news-releases/news-details/2025/New-Okta-Platform-Innovations-Extend-Identity-Security-Fabric-to-Non-Human-Identities-in-an-Agentic-AI-Future/default.aspx)), Okta's solutions are not only keeping pace but are also shaped by the practical needs and security imperatives of a leading enterprise: itself. This commitment to "Okta on Okta" is a powerful driver of its leadership in the identity space.

Okta on Okta: How the Identity Leader Secures Itself and Shapes Its Products from Within


For a company built on providing robust and scalable identity and access management (IAM), the ultimate proving ground is often its own internal infrastructure and workforce. Auth0, now a key product unit within Okta, has long embraced the principle of using its own platform to secure its applications, manage employee access, and empower its developers. This deep internal reliance on its own technology has been a significant driver for product innovation and refinement, though not without the inherent complexities that arise when a company's internal needs intersect with a diverse global customer base.

### Building with Their Own Blocks: From APIs to "Teams"

Auth0's architecture is fundamentally API-first. This means that the comprehensive set of Authentication and Management APIs they provide to customers are the same ones their internal teams leverage to build and secure Auth0's own services and administrative dashboards ([Digital Marketplace, "Okta - Auth0 - Identity Management Platform"](https://www.applytosupply.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/g-cloud/services/793836677921733)). This approach ensures that their APIs are not just theoretical constructs but are continuously battle-tested and refined through real-world, mission-critical internal applications. When Auth0 engineers develop new SDKs, like the `auth0-fastify-api` SDK for securing Fastify APIs, they are creating tools that their own colleagues might use, fostering a strong emphasis on developer experience and ease of integration ([Auth0 Blog, "Announcing the Auth0 Fastify API SDK"](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-fastify-sdk/)).

A prime example of this internal-first innovation is the "Teams" feature. Auth0 explicitly describes "Teams" – a platform layer designed to simplify the management of multiple Auth0 tenants and tenant members – as a "perfect example of ‘dogfooding’, the practice of using one's own products or services." ([Auth0 Blog, "Auth0 by Okta: Teams"](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-by-okta-teams/)). This feature was built upon Auth0's existing "Organizations" capability, which itself serves B2B customers. By addressing their own internal needs for better tenant visibility and collaborative management, Auth0 developed a solution that directly translates to improved usability and control for their customers managing complex, multi-environment deployments.

Auth0's commitment to security best practices, such as robust multi-factor authentication (MFA), breached password detection, and secure token handling, is not just advice for its customers; it's integral to how they protect their own platform and employee access ([AppSecure, "Secure Your Auth0 Authentication"](https://www.appsecure.security/blog/auth0-best-security-practices), [DeepStrike, "Auth0 Security Best Practices"](https://deepstrike.io/blog/auth0-security-best-practices)). When employees access internal systems or the Auth0 management dashboard itself, they are interacting with the same security layers and protocols that their customers rely on.

### Guiding Principles for SDKs: Learning from Internal Use

The internal use of their own SDKs and APIs naturally informs Auth0's "Guiding Principles for Building SDKs." Emphasizing empathy for the developer, providing intuitive experiences, and minimizing friction are key tenets ([Auth0 Blog, "Guiding Principles for Building SDKs"](https://auth0.com/blog/guiding-principles-for-building-sdks/)). Common developer pain points, such as navigating verbose documentation or dealing with inconsistencies, are likely identified and addressed more readily when the company's own developers are among the primary consumers of these tools. This internal feedback loop aims to create SDKs and quickstarts that are not just functional but also accelerate secure and effective implementation for all users.

### The Challenges of an Inward Gaze

While using one's own platform provides invaluable insights, it doesn't render a company immune to challenges or criticisms. The experience of internal teams, who possess deep familiarity with the product, might not always mirror that of external users, especially those with simpler use cases or less technical expertise.

Some users on platforms like Reddit have voiced concerns about Auth0's pricing complexity, finding it difficult to predict costs or feeling pushed towards more expensive enterprise plans as their usage grows ([Reddit, "Is Auth0 dead/coasting?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/ExperiencedDevs/comments/1j89fe5/is_auth0_deadcoasting_whats_the_work_environment/), [Stytch Blog, "Auth0 reviews"](https://stytch.com/blog/auth0-reviews/)). Others have found aspects of the platform to be overly complex for basic authentication needs or have reported frustrations with customer support responsiveness or the perceived stagnation of certain features, particularly post-Okta acquisition.

One user on Reddit noted an instance where "the deploy CLI was totally broken when I first tried to use it (by a recent Auth0 platform update that hadn't been coordinated)." While this points to an internal coordination issue rather than a flaw in the authentication product itself, it highlights how even companies focused on developer tools can experience internal process challenges that impact external users.

These criticisms don't necessarily invalidate the benefits of internal usage, but they do underscore the importance of continuously gathering diverse external feedback. A feature that works seamlessly for an internal team of security experts might still present usability hurdles for a small startup trying to implement basic login.

### Evolving with the Ecosystem

Auth0's journey, particularly its "API-first" approach and the development of features like "Teams" born from internal needs, demonstrates a strong commitment to leveraging its own identity solutions. This practice helps ensure their core platform is robust, scalable, and equipped with the features necessary for complex identity management scenarios. As part of Okta, the broader landscape of internal usage and product integration likely continues to evolve.

The balance lies in harnessing the deep technical understanding gained from internal application while actively seeking and incorporating the diverse perspectives of the global developer community. By doing so, Auth0 aims to provide an identity platform that is not only powerful enough for its own demanding use cases but also accessible and adaptable for the thousands of organizations relying on it to secure their digital interactions.

Articles tagged with "Iam"

Okta on Okta: How the Identity Leader Secures Itself and Shapes Its Products from Within

Securing Themselves: How Auth0's Own Identity Platform Shapes Its Innovations