In our organization, we utilize around 14 different applications connected to Okta, each demanding its own multi-factor authentication (MFA) method. For instance, the sales team uses Salesforce, which prompts Okta Verify for push notifications, while our finance tool bypasses Okta entirely and requires TOTP through Google Authenticator. Additionally, the Azure portal has started enforcing its own Entra MFA, and our development tools rely on Duo due to past certification by the vendor. As a result, our users end up with 3-4 different authenticator apps on their phones and frequently get locked out because they don't remember which method to use for each app. Is this just the reality of a mixed-vendor environment, or is there a way to unify the authentication process across all these applications? We've attempted to use Okta Verify for everything, but some apps do not support it.
5 Answers
At this stage, you don’t necessarily need a complicated technical solution, just a solid identity strategy will do.
If there’s no way to standardize methods, maybe just consider disabling MFA for some apps and let Okta handle all of it. Initially, I faced a similar issue, but slowly transitioned everything to Okta. Just remember when setting up apps like Salesforce that you have to turn off their native logins and MFA; it’s essential for full integration with Okta.
Pro tip: Most apps requiring MFA will also support TOTP, so you can often find a workaround to integrate those through Okta.
Configuring Azure Portal with Okta should be straightforward. You will still need a couple of dedicated admin accounts for Microsoft, but Okta can definitely streamline access.
What you’re facing is pretty common in mixed vendor setups. Ideally, you’d want a unified identity strategy where all services go through a single Identity Provider (IdP). This way, you can standardize your authentication method across the board. Given that you only have a few apps, it could be a good idea to tackle this sooner rather than later.
Exactly, having everything under one IdP makes life so much easier!