Okta is deepening its investment in India with a major expansion of its Bengaluru operations, positioning the country as a core engineering hub for building the identity security infrastructure required in the AI era. The company is scaling both its R&D capabilities and physical footprint as organisations globally accelerate deployment of Generative and Agentic AI systems.
The expansion comes at a critical moment for enterprise security. Okta’s latest research shows that while 91% of companies already have AI agents in production, only 10% have a security plan to protect them. Analysts warn that without strong authentication and identity governance, 40% of AI agent deployments could fail by 2027, exposing organisations to new classes of identity and data risks. As non-human identities rapidly multiply across digital environments, identity has become the new control plane of AI adoption.
Stephanie Barnett, VP Presales and Interim GM, APJ, says the shift is reshaping security priorities across sectors. “More than half of organisations now see modern identity as their most critical defense in the AI era,” she noted. “By expanding in Bengaluru, we’re uniquely positioned to help customers innovate safely as they embrace GenAI and agentic AI. Our expanded facility will accelerate AI-driven identity innovation for the region.”
Okta’s Bengaluru teams are now central to the company’s global engineering roadmap, building the foundational Identity Security Fabric needed to manage both human and non-human identities at scale. The centre has grown to 700 employees since 2023, and Okta plans to expand headcount by 50% in 2026, with a focus on deep-tech engineering and product development roles. Teams in India are developing high-impact security tools such as Policy Recommender, Governance Analyzer, and ITP, while also pioneering new capabilities for securing machine identities.
According to Shakeel Khan, Regional Vice President & Country Manager, Okta India, the expansion aligns with India’s emergence as a global powerhouse for AI and cybersecurity talent. “India’s talent pool has the depth required to tackle the complex challenge of securing AI agents and the expanded identity surface,” he said. “This new facility will be the engine that helps build the identity layer of the future.”
The investment strengthens India’s role in Okta’s broader international growth strategy as the company charts its path from $5 billion to $10 billion in global scale. With enterprises across the country entering a defining phase of digital transformation, Okta is working closely with partners such as Sonata, Softcell, ACPL and 22By7 to drive identity-led security modernization nationwide.
As identity becomes the central pillar of securing AI at scale, Okta’s expanded presence in Bengaluru positions India at the forefront of building the next generation of AI-ready security infrastructure.
