AWS re:Invent is Back!

At the recently celebrated 10th anniversary of AWS re:Invent, partners and customers from all over the world came together (in person) to raise the bar on how they build, run, and best serve customers on AWS. In line with industry trends, a central theme this year was Zero Trust. Booth visitors wanted to know how Okta/Auth0 best mitigates risk and increases brand loyalty through continual verification.

Zero Trust (the concept of never trust, always verify) was a hot topic at this year’s re:Invent.

The pandemic sparked the rapid digitization of healthcare, financial, and community service industries. With this digital shift, came increased exposure and subsequent risk. Companies have more information than ever before to safeguard against malicious activity and need to understand their customers on a digital level. Users have an ever-increasing digital footprint to secure and need to know they can trust corporations with Personally Identifiable Information.

The pandemic also restricted face-to-face meetings, making virtual ones (via Zoom, Chime, etc) increasingly prevalent. With no shortage of “Zoom Fatigue,” many were eager to come back together in real life.

Now, for the first time in over a year, the re:Invent conference was held in person, in Las Vegas, NV, from November 29 - December 3rd. Many participants were meeting their own team members for the first time and the energy was palpable. You may not have been able to see behind the masks, but we were all smiling.

There was a lot to smile about as AWS celebrated with lots of festivities. Live bands prefaced keynote speakers, and developers flocked to a number of game days, hackathons, and hands-on workshops. There was also a virtual option for those unable to attend in person. Those who were able to attend, and made it past the loud, celebratory music, through the AWS DeepRacer simulation, to the giant Expo hall full of AWS and partner booths, found the partner stage!

First on stage to kick off a series of partner talks (10:30AM Wednesday) was Auth0 Solutions Engineer, Jeet Shah. An in-person audience of 25 joined multiple virtual attendees to learn how Auth0 enables developers at companies like Headspace, Flo, and Slice, to quickly incorporate Identity into customer-facing, revenue-generating applications. Shah shared details of the Auth0 Rules Engine and answered a number of questions regarding how Auth0 manages interoperability and adaptive MFA.

Okta Solutions Engineer, Kapil Patil, came on in the afternoon (1PM Wednesday) to showcase Okta’s capabilities in managing workforce and customer Identities for companies like Wabtec, JetBlue, and Athenahealth. Okta exists to give the right person, the right level of access, to the right content (including AWS resources) at any given time. Enabling customers to SSO, automate workflows, and manage user lifecycles including onboarding, role changes, and deprovisioning.

After listening to Shah and Patil, those with follow-up questions migrated to our booth. Or rather - booths. To learn how Okta/Auth0 have joined forces to solve the most complex, large-scale Identity use-cases on AWS.

Conducive to our complimentary Identity Products, Okta/Auth0 had each other’s back quite literally as well in terms of booth representation. Auth0’s booth was smartly branded The Log INN where booth staffers, concierges were dressed in flannel. Most visitors wanted to check out Auth0’s Adaptive MFA. As a way to trigger additional verification at sensitive moments (like changing one’s billing address or making a purchase) for an equally frictionless and secure customer experience.

Next door, Okta’s booth targeted Workforce Identity and the thousands of integrations supporting workflow. Among the most popular, the integration with AWS Services. Aside from inquiring about free tee-shirts, the most common question amongst thousands of documented booth visitors was:

“What will be the impact of the Okta acquisition of Auth0 in relation to Zero Trust?”

The reality is, that when it comes to your customer engagement strategy, trust is everything. Traditionally, access control systems have treated legitimate users and attackers as equals and the problem is that it either grants attackers too little resistance, or legitimate users too much. Secure and smart identity management directly translates into user trust, which in turn, elevates the customer’s perception of your brand. To put it simply:

Identity is Trust

Where Okta has traditionally handled enterprise Identity, Auth0, in contrast, was built by and for developers. The Okta acquisition of Auth0 for $6.5B dollars in May 2021, served to close the gap on providing SSO for an increasing number of applications regardless of use-case, industry, or Identity Provider.

Today, developers and enterprise IT teams, alike, struggle with siloed designs, broken access control, unlinked digital identities, and a disparate user experience. There’s a common objective to create a more robust experience by increasing customer engagement and adoption, as well as employee efficiency. Together, Okta/Auth0 enables companies to best serve their customers on AWS. Here’s how:

Better Together

For developers building applications, or IT teams working to streamline disparate systems, Identity is not always top of mind. However, at Okta/Auth0 we take Identity seriously. It’s the front door to how all customers and partners engage with a brand, and the synergy of convenience, security, and privacy.

Convenience:

• Auth0 has 60+ pre-built SDKs and 100’s of Integrations enabling 94% of customers to full production in under 30 days.
• Okta has 7,000+ Integrations and supports user lifecycle management for 250+ cloud and on-prem apps helping users log in 50% faster and reduce helpdesk calls by 75%.

Security:

• Auth0 ensures world-class security through continuous vulnerability assessments, third-party penetration testing, and a bug bounty program with BugCrowd.
• Okta continuously synchronizes users from a target directory with the ability to deprovision when and where needed.

Privacy:

• Auth0 offers a fully customizable Universal Login and Organizations to centralize Identity across unique brands and experiences.
• Okta’s Advanced Server Access provides centralized control across any hybrid or multi cloud environment.

Together, Okta/Auth0 provides Identity at scale to over 14K global customers, most of whom are also all-in customers on AWS. What does that mean for you?

What’s Next?

If you missed us re:Invent, it’s not too late! If you’d like to learn more about Okta, Auth0, and Zero Trust, there are a number of ways to connect.

• High Level: Visit our virtual booth Auth0 through February, 2022.
• Hands-On: Try Okta and Auth0 for free!
• Deep Dive: Book a technical demo with our Okta and Auth0 Solutions Engineers.

Okta/Auth0

The Okta/Auth0 Identity Platform, takes a modern approach to identity management, enabling organizations to provide secure access to any application, running on any device, for any end-user. Securing more than 5 Billion logins monthly, Okta/Auth0 deliver equal parts convenience, security, and privacy, closing the gap on authentication-related risk through continual and frictionless verification. Trust us to handle Identity, so you can focus on innovation.