Okta announced a major, strategic expansion of its India operations, committing substantial investment to increase its R&D capabilities and physical footprint in its Bengaluru campus.
Okta’s research reveals that 91% of companies have AI agents in production, yet only 10% have a corresponding security plan. Analysts suggest this gap could cause 40% of AI agent deployments to fail by 2027 without proper authentication. This threat is driving organisations to view modern identity as their most critical defense in the AI era.
The rapid acceleration of Generative and Agentic AI adoption has made Identity and Access Management (IAM) mission-critical, as the AI agent is the new user that requires securing and managing.
Stephanie Barnett, VP Presales and Interim GM, APJ said “Okta’s data shows that more than half of organisations now see modern identity and access management as their most critical defense in the AI era. Securing both human and non-human identities requires a unified Identity Security Fabric. India’s digital ambition is unmatched, and by deepening our presence in Bengaluru, we’re uniquely positioned to help customers innovate safely as they embrace GenAI and agentic AI. Our expanded Bengaluru facility will accelerate AI-driven identity innovation for the region.”
- Accelerating AI-Driven Identity Innovation: The expanded facility will focus on building the foundational Identity Security Fabric required to secure this new ecosystem, accelerating AI-driven identity innovation for the region and globally. The team has grown to 700 employees since 2023.
- Hiring goals: Okta plans to grow its team by 50% in 2026 in India, focusing on deep-tech engineering and product development talent to support its mission of securing AI at scale.
- Driving innovation: Engineer teams are driving Okta’s major global initiatives while addressing India-specific needs, building advanced tools such as Policy Recommender, Governance Analyzer, ITP, and leading new innovations to secure non-human identities.
- Supporting Global Growth: This expansion reinforces India’s role as a critical global tech talent hub and is directly tied to Okta’s international growth strategy to scale from $5 billion to $10 billion.
Shakeel Khan, Regional Vice President & Country Manager, Okta India “Our expansion in Bengaluru is about amplifying our ability to innovate at the speed of AI. India’s talent pool has the unique depth required to tackle the complex security challenges of securing AI agents and the expanded identity surface. This new facility will be the engine that helps build the identity layer of the future, ensuring that Okta leads the charge in securing the Age of AI for customers across sectors.”
India is entering a defining moment in digital transformation, with enterprises rapidly advancing AI adoption, strengthening security foundations and unifying identity. Okta’s work in the region is designed to support this shift, delivering capabilities that help organisations in India and globally move toward a more secure and trusted digital future. As identity becomes central to India’s AI-driven growth, our partner-first strategy will guide how we scale, working closely with Sonata, Softcell, ACPL and 22By7 to enable identity-led transformation nationwide.
