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IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL] vs Okta Platform comparison

IBM and Okta are both solutions in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category. Additionally, 93% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Okta users who would recommend it.
Okta Platform
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96% willing to recommend
 

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 22, 2026

IBM Tivoli Access Manager and Okta Platform compete in identity management solutions. Okta Platform appears superior due to its advanced features and cloud-based architecture offering greater flexibility and scalability.

Features: IBM Tivoli Access Manager provides robust access control, authentication, and authorization with strong enterprise-grade security. Okta Platform includes features like strong multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and adaptive security measures, offering a comprehensive suite for identity and access management.

Room for Improvement: IBM Tivoli Access Manager could enhance its cloud integration and offer more straightforward deployment options. It can also improve the modernity of user interfaces and simplification of its configuration processes. Okta Platform could expand its offline functionalities, refine integration with legacy systems, and improve customization options for users seeking more tailored experiences.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Tivoli Access Manager's on-premises deployment often requires more time and direct interactions with customer service. Okta Platform's cloud-based nature allows for faster deployment and offers extensive online support, providing more accessible customer service.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Tivoli Access Manager has higher initial setup costs due to its on-premises nature but may offer stable ROI over time for existing users. Okta Platform, with a subscription-based model, generally offers lower upfront costs with quicker ROI due to easy deployment and regular updates.

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Single Sign-On (SSO)
March 2026
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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 Tivoli Access Manager [...
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
3.8
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Okta Platform
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
103
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (2nd), Authentication Systems (4th), Privileged Access Management (PAM) (3rd), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (2nd), Access Management (2nd), ZTNA as a Service (4th), Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (1st), AI IT Support (2nd)
 

Featured Reviews

it_user711612 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user711612
Senior Consultant at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reverse proxy provides central control over authentication and authorization.
It is a single product that caters for all the business needs throughout the organization. It provides a seamless integration that in turn encourages most of the applications to use the SSO features Reverse proxy is the most valuable feature as it provides central control over authentication and…
Read full review
SN
Sravanakumar Nidamanooru
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.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This product is highly recommended to meet access management and web single sign-on requirements."
"We have managed to automate the creation of all employees, and the company's clients and then assign the accounts/accesses according to business need."
"The Verify feature: A push method which customers are going for."
"It is a simple-to-deploy solution, with many features that are supported out-of-the-box without complicated setup."
"Centralized policy management and reverse proxy-based architecture make it very flexible in terms of deployment, adoption, and implementation."
"IBM directory server offers the best roll-out experience."
"Since its birth it is an unbelievable stable product."
"It is a totally secure way of accessing clients through various application portals for more than ten EU countries, just by using single sign-on."
More IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL] pros
"The end user's ease of use is the most valuable feature."
"I would highly recommend Okta Platform because it gives you access to Single Sign-On (SSO) and multi-factor authentication, and even though it is on the costly side, it eventually balances out with the features that it provides."
"Ease of use and the ability to trust the product are what I value most."
"Time saved is a great example of return on investment, as Okta Workforce Identity has saved approximately 50 to 80 percent of our time."
"You can only log in if you have the access, which protects the applications by avoiding cross-site scripting."
"The product is easy to use."
"It is a very stable solution."
"The most valuable feature of Okta Customer Identity is its SSO because it's very easy to use and it's user-friendly. Even the admin portal of the solution is very user-friendly, and you can walk through it with ease. Okta Customer Identity is not a complicated solution, and even the workflow automation feature is very, very easy to understand."
More Okta Platform pros
 

Cons

"Older TAM versions are not compatible for connecting to a DB."
"What I don’t particularly like is the flow duration."
"Yes, because there are so many moving parts it can often be difficult getting it right first time."
"It was complex for us as we have multiple domains."
"Initial setup was complicated because TAM was implemented as a part of the IDM solution."
"There were endless issues with stability in version 8.0.1."
"Looking at their roadmap, they have a broad grasp of the security features which the industry needs."
"Sometimes, there are long running support tickets (for 6-8 months) and that is unacceptable from the customer's point of view."
More IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL] cons
"The initial setup, for new users, is a bit difficult."
"Some limitations in scalability. Each application we work with can be completely different, resulting in highly variable implementation processes."
"It's my personal opinion, but it was a classic UI and now the UI is different."
"The initial setup is difficult because you're setting it up with your own portal."
"Okta should have at least a local peering partner for countries that align with or comply with GDPR, so there are no compliance or audit questions."
"It's not compatible with on-premises installations, unless you host it as a SaaS."
"There is an access request system that is very limited access to the systems available for end-users. The access request should improve in Okta Customer Identity."
"When you are doing basic things, it is straightforward, but if you are going to be doing workflows, other things, or recon and trust, then there is effort involved, and that is where it gets convoluted."
More Okta Platform cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The IBM prices are, as ever, extortionate, even with a business partnership, and high levels of discounts."
"The solution is really expensive."
"We pay 23 pence (approximately $0.30 USD) per user, annually, for 150,000 users."
"The pricing for Okta Workforce Identity could still be improved or made cheaper. It costs from 50 to 100 euros a year per user. Okta Workforce Identity has different packages you can choose from, and my previous company had all of them, particularly the full Okta suite."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"Workforce Identity is well-priced."
"The price of the solution is fair for what it offers."
"This is an expensive solution but the security makes it worthwhile."
"It is costly for large companies."
More Okta Platform pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise18
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business44
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise50
 

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Okta Workforce Identity?
Okta has introduced the Universal Directory. It has custom attribute capability and user permissions to read/write on their profiles or hide them. Profile sources and identity profile sourcing are ...
See all answers
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.
See all answers
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 ...
See all answers
 

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL]
March 2026
IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL] reportDownload IBM Tivoli Access Manager [EOL] product report
Buyer's Guide
Okta Platform
March 2026
Okta Platform reportDownload Okta Platform product report
 

Also Known As

Tivoli Access Manager, IBM Security Access Manager
Okta Customer Identity, Workforce Identity
 

Overview

IBM Tivoli Access Manager is a robust and secure centralized policy management solution for e-business and distributed applications. IBM Tivoli Access Manager WebSEAL is a high performance, multi-threaded Web server that applies fine-grained security policy to the Tivoli Access Manager protected Web object space. WebSEAL can provide single sign-on solutions and incorporate back-end Web application server resources into its security policy.
IBM

Okta Platform provides comprehensive identity and access management, featuring Active Directory Sync, user management, and app auto-provisioning. It ensures security through single sign-on and adaptive multi-factor authentication.

Okta Platform offers advanced integration capabilities, allowing seamless connection with in-house and cloud applications. Security features are robust, incorporating multi-factor authentication and SSO to prevent unauthorized access. Users benefit from its ease of use and the ability to integrate and manage numerous applications effectively. While generally praised, users note areas for improvement, such as high costs and complex setups. Better integrations with on-premises systems and third-party tools are desired along with enhanced error logging and reporting features.

What are Okta's key features?
  • Active Directory Sync: Simplifies app management by synchronizing user directories.
  • Single Sign-On: Provides desktop SSO for easier access to multiple apps.
  • Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication: Offers robust security options for different scenarios.
  • Universal Directory: Supports flexible identity management and configuration.
  • Integration Capability: Enables connections with both in-house and SaaS applications.
What benefits do organizations find in Okta?
  • Enhanced Security: Multi-layered authentication to prevent unauthorized access.
  • Improved Efficiency: Streamlines user provisioning and app assignments.
  • Increased Compliance: Ensures secure access management aligning with IT policies.
  • Seamless Integration: Facilitates connections with various applications enhancing operational workflows.

Companies across industries implement Okta to secure user authentication and streamline onboarding processes. It supports access management for both on-premises and cloud applications, synchronizing directories and facilitating SaaS services. Organizations benefit from reduced credential management complexity and improved IT infrastructure compliance.

Okta
 

Sample Customers

Essex Technology Group Inc.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Single Sign-On (SSO)
March 2026
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