Cloud security vendor Okta in European push
Start-up vendor sees the UK and Europe as central to its expansion as it reportedly eyes IPO
US cloud security start-up Okta is aiming to muscle deeper into the European market after launching its first local datacentre.
Okta has billed the opening of the German datacentre cell, which is built on private cloud infrastructure from AWS, as a "milestone" in its growth, saying it will allow EMEA customers to comply with EU privacy regulations.
The San Francisco-based identity and mobile management specialist is reportedly gearing up for an IPO after bagging $75m funding last year.
Having touched down in EMEA two years ago, it claims it has tripled both its local headcount and its customer tally over the past 12 months.
"Growth in EMEA has been stellar for Okta," said Phil Turner, general manager of Okta EMEA.
"We have experienced expansion into most major markets including the UK, France, Germany, Benelux, the Nordics and the Middle East, and signed-up enterprise organisations as well as smaller and mid-sized organisations."
The new EU facility's launch is a nod to the "strict" data laws of countries such as Germany, as well as firms across the region in highly regulated industries such as banking and finance, Okta said. Existing customer Etihad Airways will be the first to use it.
"Okta's investment in local infrastructure further demonstrates our commitment to the needs and legislative requirements of EMEA organisations," said Turner.
Okta plays in a cloud software market set to grow by almost 50 per cent annually in the coming years, according to analyst ReportsnReports.com, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Centrify and Ping Identity.
Okta said the new German datacentre, which is backed by a disaster recovery facility in Ireland, will give customers the option of keeping all their data in Europe through a single datacentre facility located in the region. This will give them "100 per cent" data sovereignty and data assurance, it said.
Boasting 2,400 customers, Okta has bagged $155m (€139.2m) in funding, including $75m in Series E funding last June.