Okta Identity Governance delivers 211% ROI & USD $2.6m in benefits

Forrester Consulting has released a new Total Economic Impact study that finds organisations using Okta Identity Governance have achieved a 211% return on investment over three years, with a payback period of less than six months.

The study, which interviewed Okta customers across multiple industries, quantifies total benefits of USD $2.6 million, including a net present value of USD $1.8 million. Key impacts include reductions in manual effort, improved compliance and audit readiness, and notable risk reduction.

Okta Identity Governance is described as a SaaS-delivered, converged identity and access management platform, comprising Okta Access Governance, Okta Workflows, and Okta Lifecycle Management.

Key results

Among its major findings, the Forrester study reported up to a 60% reduction in manual effort for organisations managing access requests, certifications and approvals. The introduction of governance automation was credited with streamlining tasks that had previously consumed significant IT resources and time.

Audit efficiency was also notably improved.

The study details that one participating organisation reduced its audit preparation time from several weeks to just a single 30-minute session with zero required follow-ups, thanks to enhanced visibility and reporting capabilities.

Cost savings associated with replacing legacy identity solutions reached USD $567,000, allowing organisations to avoid additional licensing and consulting expenses.

In the area of security, the research estimates USD $231,000 in risk reduction by helping to enforce least-privilege access, eliminate excessive entitlements, and minimise the risk of insider threats.

Productivity gains amounted to nearly USD $500,000, as users and IT teams made faster access decisions.

The study notes that 25% of organisations implemented Okta Identity Governance in under 30 days, with more than half going live within six months.

Industry feedback

Stephanie Barnett, Vice President, Presales, Okta Asia Pacific and Japan, said many organisations in the region still face challenges with outdated governance systems, disconnected tools and manual processes.

"Across Asia Pacific, many organisations are still navigating outdated governance systems, disconnected tools, and manual processes that introduce risk and complexity," said Stephanie Barnett, Vice President, Presales, Okta Asia Pacific and Japan.

"This research validates what we're hearing on the ground: identity governance doesn't have to be a burden. When built into the fabric of identity, it becomes an enabler, helping security and IT teams move faster, strengthen controls, and improve the overall user experience."

The study highlighted softer benefits alongside financial and operational gains. Interviewees reported improved morale for identity and access management (IAM) teams, reduced frustrations for end users thanks to fewer access delays, and a faster realisation of value in comparison to earlier identity governance and administration solutions.

Barnett added that security is increasingly defined by effective identity management strategies.

"Identity is now the control plane for security," Barnett added. "We're seeing more organisations in our region rethink governance as a core part of their identity strategy, one that not only strengthens compliance and reduces risk, but also drives better productivity outcomes."

Compliance and security

Okta Identity Governance is part of the company's broader identity and access management platform and integrates with more than 800 enterprise applications.

This integration, according to Okta, enables organisations to transition from disjointed governance solutions to adopting more proactive, context-aware controls that expand alongside business growth.

The company asserts that the platform allows organisations to efficiently create, protect, and audit access to critical resources.

According to Okta, OIG reduces risks linked with unmanaged identities and persistent privileged access, and increases the relevance of access certification processes by presenting contextual information such as sign-in frequency and the last accessed date for resources.

App entitlements can be stored and managed in Okta, and assigned to users either individually or according to policy.

Self-service functionalities permit users to request access to Okta-managed resources directly from workplace collaboration tools, supporting productivity by reducing delays. Automating provisioning and revocation of access, OIG aims to improve IT efficiency by minimising errors and the workload associated with manual data entry.

Automated and self-service access requests are equipped with approval flows that, Okta states, provide an additional layer of security for sensitive data and tools. These features are positioned to help organisations align with Zero Trust and regulatory frameworks that are increasingly placing identity governance at the core of security planning.

The Forrester study underscores the growing importance placed on identity governance as organisations look to improve compliance, risk management and operational flexibility in the current security and regulatory environment.