'We're doing more business than we've ever done before through partners': Okta partner lead

The vendor is making the channel a priority as it grows and expands in EMEA

Identity and access management vendor Okta is doubling down on its channel relationships as it seeks to execute a significant shift in its approach to partnerships.

James Bradley, partners and alliances lead at Okta tells CRN it's clear that partners are playing an increasingly crucial role in its Okta's future growth.

One of the most notable changes in Okta's strategy is the company-wide adoption of a "born to partners" mindset, Bradley explains.

This shift goes beyond the partner team, permeating all functions within the organisation. With over 60 per cent of Okta's business now flowing through the channel globally – a figure that continues to rise – the importance of this approach cannot be overstated.

"We're doing more business than we've ever done before through partners," Bradley says. "Our Q1 was the strongest quarter we've ever had with partners."

Diversifying partner ecosystem

While Okta continues to focus on big resellers and global system integrators, it is also making a concerted effort to expand its mid-market presence.

The company is actively recruiting specialists to support regional boutique integrators, recognising their crucial role in customer discussions and digital transformation initiatives.

"These partners are often in strategic discussions with customers and driving transformation," Bradley noted. "They're also crucial for our customer identity portfolio, as they're developing apps and new experiences."

This diversification strategy is particularly important in regions like EMEA, he says, where diverse markets, varying levels of maturity, and different skill sets demand strong channel relationships.

Okta's committed to partner success particularly with enablement programmes.

These include in-depth training for both workforce and customer identity solutions, in-person boot camps, and dedicated alliance managers.

"Furthermore, Okta's field teams are now mandated to bring partners into opportunities early, fostering collaboration from the outset."

The partner programme itself offers a tiered structure with increasing rewards for business growth, including higher discounts, marketing funds, and more focused support from Okta's team.

Notably, the American vendor is also supporting partners in growing their service businesses, not just their reselling operations.

MSPs: the next frontier

While Okta doesn't currently have a separate tier for managed service providers (MSPs), plans are in motion to introduce multi-tenant MSP offerings within the next year.

"We currently have a layer across the programme, and the way I look at it is, when we talk to resellers of various sizes, each has a vision of managed services, and that's how we determine how to support them, Bradley says.

"We are running multi-tenant MSP instances, and our intent is to bring that to EMEA in the next nine to 12 months. That's just the multi-tenant side, which is only one aspect of managed services.

"The bigger aspect is how we commercially support our partners in creating managed services around Okta. We've got teams to help partners navigate this process. We assist them in determining how to create services and what they want to be known for in the market."

Challenges and future vision

Despite the progress, Okta acknowledges challenges in scaling their internal capacity to meet increasing partner demand.

However, this hasn't dampened the vendor's ambitious vision for the future.

Bradley outlines a three-year partner journey: "First, we're focusing on field and partner integration. Next, we'll develop mature systems for partner autonomy. Finally, we aim to build an economy around our partner ecosystem, similar to Salesforce's AppExchange."

This long-term vision underscores Okta's commitment to not just working with partners, but creating a thriving ecosystem where partners can build successful businesses around identity solutions.

As organisations increasingly recognise the critical role of identity in building digital trust, Okta sees a significant opportunity for partners to expand their thinking around identity solutions.

"It's not just about SSO and MFA," Bradley emphasises. "Identity is the foundation of trust in digital business, and there's a massive opportunity for partners to help customers leverage identity to drive their digital transformation initiatives."