Unfortunately, Okta cannot serve as a total replacement to Active Directory. This is because AD serves as the identity provider for Windows systems, applications, file servers, and the network. Okta is using those AD identities to federate those users to web applications.
It’s a good question, but it’s unfortunately a little off base – Okta’s Universal Directory is not a replacement for AD. Unfortunately, Okta cannot serve as a total replacement to Active Directory. This is because AD serves as the identity provider for Windows systems, applications, file servers, and the network.
How do I integrate Okta with Active Directory (AD)?
The Okta Active Directory (AD) agent enables you to integrate Okta with your on-premise Active Directory (AD). AD integration provides delegated authentication support, user provisioning and de-provisioning. To enable AD integration, you must install the Okta AD agent, and import AD users and groups into Okta.
If you add new users to the group, Okta will also push them automatically. The service account used by the Okta AD agent needs to either be a domain admin, or have permissions to make changes (creating users, update etc.) to your Active Directory. Otherwise, you will receive errors while trying to sync users from Okta to AD.
How does Okta work with Azure Active Directory (AD)?
Unlike Windows Azure Active Directory and on-premises Azure AD Connect (Dir. Sync), Okta maintains continuous connectivity with AD with its on-premises agents. When an AD user logs in, Okta agents check the password stored in AD in real-time.
When Okta is configured for delegated authentication to Active Directory, no AD credentials are stored in the cloud, and passwords never get out of sync. Unlike Windows Azure Active Directory and on-premises Azure AD Connect (Dir. Sync), Okta maintains continuous connectivity with AD with its on-premises agents.
How does Okta handle passwords stored in Active Directory?
When an AD user logs in, Okta agents check the password stored in AD in real-time. It doesn’t matter whether the user’s account is mastered in Active Directory or in the Okta Universal Directory. If a user changes their password via their Windows PC or an on-premises password management tool, Okta instantly uses that new password.
What is the difference between Okta identity and Microsoft ad?
Unlike Microsoft AD, the Okta Identity Cloud is built for companies’ long-term needs. The Okta Identity Cloud is a modern directory and it’s also more than that: It offers single sign-on (SSO), lifecycle management, and multi-factor authentication.
Why Okta for AD FS?
AD FS has seen its day. Okta believes in reducing on-premises server management as much as possible. Its 100% cloud-based platform can eliminate dependence AD FS servers. Okta can also help customers avoid using Azure AD Connect (Dir. Sync) to synchronize Active Directory to Azure AD.