Okta acquires Permiso Security

Okta, a leading identity and access management company, has agreed to acquire Permiso Security, a California-based provider of cloud-native identity security tools, for an undisclosed price. According to TechCrunch, the deal is valued at just under $200 million and is structured as an almost all-cash transaction, a figure that Okta did not dispute. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of Okta's fiscal year 2027, subject to customary conditions. Permiso specializes in identity threat detection and response (ITDR), monitoring for risks involving human, non-human, and agentic identities across multi-cloud environments. Its technology leverages over 2,500 security signals from more than 70 identity-focused partners to detect issues such as overprivileged access, unused permissions, abnormal AI agent behavior, and policy violations. Key capabilities include SandyClaw, a sandbox for analyzing AI agent skills and prompts, and automated response tools to contain compromised agents in real time. Permiso's P0 Labs research unit will join Okta's research operation, enhancing threat detection and hunting capabilities. Okta plans to integrate Permiso's detection data with its existing identity fabric to provide continuous monitoring across all identity types, including AI agents and machine identities. The acquisition aligns with Okta's strategy to expand beyond authentication into continuous monitoring, addressing the growing threat landscape where attackers increasingly use post-authentication methods. Okta's chief product officer Ely Jacques Kahn emphasized the importance of securing 'agentic enterprises' where humans, applications, service accounts, and AI agents work together. The deal follows Okta's acquisition of Axiom Security in August, part of its broader push into identity security.