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IBM Security Secret Server vs Okta Platform comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 22, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Security Secret Server
Ranking in Privileged Access Management (PAM)
20th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Okta Platform
Ranking in Privileged Access Management (PAM)
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
126
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (1st), Authentication Systems (3rd), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (2nd), Access Management (2nd), ZTNA as a Service (3rd), Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (1st), AI IT Support (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Privileged Access Management (PAM) category, the mindshare of IBM Security Secret Server is 1.4%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Okta Platform is 3.2%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Privileged Access Management (PAM) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Okta Platform3.2%
IBM Security Secret Server1.4%
Other95.4%
Privileged Access Management (PAM)
 

Featured Reviews

AsifIqbal - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Information Security Officer at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
Privileged access monitoring has strengthened identity control and improved security posture
I find the monitoring and recording parts of IBM Security Secret Server to be the most valuable features. Password vaulting is somewhat typical, but I rate monitoring and recording as very good features, along with ease of deployment. The reporting tools in IBM Security Secret Server have helped me identify vulnerabilities. From the monitoring part, you can somewhat cover the identity vulnerability aspect. However, for identity vulnerability, I think the best approach is to use IAM rather than PAM. It is easy to integrate IBM Security Secret Server with cybersecurity frameworks, which is a very important aspect. When we are improving our attack surface, identity is the most important thing that we need to cover, and PAM will play a very crucial role in improving our cybersecurity framework and architecture. The main benefits that IBM Security Secret Server provides for me include complete control over the privileged identities, which are the main sources that can have the privilege to make numerous changes on the system. If we protect these identities through PAM and provide elevation on their accounts when required, then we can improve our security posture and infrastructure security.
SN
Identity and Access Management Specialist at a university with 10,001+ employees
Automated lifecycle management has cut onboarding times and now drives secure, clean access
Although I am a fan of Okta Platform overall, there are areas where it could improve security outcomes and reduce admin friction. My top improvement areas include the system log and analytics upgrade, which are great for point troubleshooting, but trending and root cause analysis across large tenants still require exporting to SIEM. Verbose queries and long-range retention costs can add up. Additionally, while certificate rotations are better than most, the process is still manual for busy portfolios, especially concerning multi-SP SAML certificate rotations and app metadata drift. Two more buckets of potential improvements for Okta Platform involve user experience and security. There is the issue of push fatigue and prompt sprawl, where users receive multiple prompts across different apps and sessions. I arrived at the rating of eight because the core controls are strong and reliable, but a few operational UX and UI gaps prevent it from being rated higher. The reasons for not giving it a nine or ten include ongoing issues concerning safety and change safety, the complexity of group rules and mappings, and the lack of robustness in policy management. Additionally, there remains a need for more manual involvement than necessary, especially for large portfolios and dual certificate rotation, along with proactive SP data metadata validation.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Centralized Password Management: Our client has more than 400 geographical locations and approximately ten employees work at each location."
"As a PAM solution, Secret Server performs all the use cases in our environment."
"The main benefits that IBM Security Secret Server provides for me include complete control over the privileged identities, which are the main sources that can have the privilege to make numerous changes on the system, and if we protect these identities through PAM and provide elevation on their accounts when required, then we can improve our security posture and infrastructure security."
"Stability-wise, I think it is a very good solution."
"What I like best about IBM Security Secret Server is its single-access console. It's also easy to manage and fulfills the requirements with the least resistance."
"This product has been able to cover most of the requests from our customers."
"Access to privileged, shared credentials is simplified by optimizing the whole workflow and approval processes."
"It is one of the most well-known names in this field."
"Okta Platform helped me secure access to cloud infrastructure, APIs, containerized workloads, and AI/GenAI services in my architecture, enhancing our security posture significantly."
"The feature that is most valuable to me is the automated user provisioning that we set up using Okta as a major part of that process."
"Workforce Identity's best features include its user-friendliness and easy setup."
"Okta has more when it comes to the policy level. It has distinctive features where you can do a mix and combination to have users access applications for various business cases."
"If your use case is multi-cloud data centers and hybrid cloud architecture, Okta is a solution to go to."
"You can only log in if you have the access, which protects the applications by avoiding cross-site scripting."
"The most valuable aspects of the solution are the integration with external websites one-factor authentication."
"The most valuable functions are Single Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)."
 

Cons

"The nonclustered index is working in an area with a problem that needs improvement."
"Unfortunately, the technical support is not very responsive because we purchased it from IBM; however, the actual support comes from Thycotic."
"I mention that password vaulting and password rotation in IBM Security Secret Server are basically the same thing, and it becomes somewhat complex when integrating a different system with them because it requires API development."
"It would be preferable if the full proxy was included in the IBM Security Secret Server."
"The newer interface is maybe confusing old customer that using previous one from their point of views, I think they will need little pass of time to be familiar with."
"Secret Server should have the ability to discover privileged accounts in the servers, like the administrator or users, from SQL and Oracle without having to import a script."
"Although much has improved in last two years, the GUI for IBM products can be improved."
"The newer interface is more difficult to use than the previous one, and consequently, new users might need more training."
"Okta can consider to become also a password vaulting manager."
"Okta Platform is a bit expensive compared to other solutions. Okta Platform is a bit expensive, and in fact, I am using the managed services from Okta Platform; they too are a bit expensive for us, but we are using them because we are happy to go with this solution."
"Okta Platform can be improved by enhancing the mobile application because sometimes it has issues."
"There are some issues with the interface that can be improved."
"I think pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Okta Platform are on the higher side."
"The product must be provided for free."
"The solution lacks an on-premises deployment model so it can't offer a hybrid solution. It would be ideal if clients had options that weren't just cloud-based."
"Application updates are lacking. Customer support needs to be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My rating for the IBM Security Secret Server pricing is seven out of ten. It could be cheaper."
"The price could be better. I think it's a good price for the on-premises environment and the high availability for enterprises the solution provides."
"I believe that we paid 35,000 or 40,000 US dollars for it."
"The price of this product could be lower."
"Though I don't know about the licensing model of the product, I wouldn't be surprised if Okta offers a per user license subscription model."
"We pay 23 pence (approximately $0.30 USD) per user, annually, for 150,000 users."
"Workforce Identity is well-priced."
"It is costly for large companies."
"The price of the solution is good."
"The price of the solution is fair for what it offers."
"This is an expensive solution but the security makes it worthwhile."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Insurance Company
19%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Construction Company
12%
Performing Arts
7%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business53
Midsize Enterprise27
Large Enterprise64
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IBM Security Secret Server?
I believe there is not much that can be improved for IBM Security Secret Server. Providing local support and local vendor availability would be beneficial so we are not dependent on international s...
What is your primary use case for IBM Security Secret Server?
IBM Security Secret Server serves multiple use cases for us, including the monitoring of privileged users, as well as the recording and password vaulting of their accounts, passwords, and need-base...
What advice do you have for others considering IBM Security Secret Server?
I mention that password vaulting and password rotation in IBM Security Secret Server are basically the same thing, and it becomes somewhat complex when integrating a different system with them beca...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Okta Workforce Identity?
Pricing for Okta is reasonably not that much, however, I don't have access to the commercial aspect.
What needs improvement with Okta Workforce Identity?
Currently, in Okta Workforce Identity we get the two-digit authentication code. Instead of getting the two-digit authentication code, if we had an option to do fingerprint verification, that would ...
What is your primary use case for Okta Workforce Identity?
I don't have many details about Okta Workforce Identity. I use the tool just to sign in to different applications that we have. We basically set up Okta Workforce Identity in our mobile phone. We d...
 

Also Known As

IBM Secret Server, Secret Server, IBM Security Privileged Identity Manager
Okta Customer Identity, Workforce Identity
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
FedEx, Zoom, Takeda, Lululemon Athletica, GrunHub, jetBlue, McKensson, Bain & Company, Engie, Peloton, Sonos, T-Mobile, Hewlett Packard, MGM Resorts, Ally Financial, Priceline, Albertsons, Itercom, Classy, FICO, Kensho, Live Nation, Drata, Rotary, and others.
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Security Secret Server vs. Okta Platform and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.