Hybrid environments are a common occurrence for many organizations today. This blended approach allows organizations to work with more modern tools and resources in the cloud and also gradually begin their modernization efforts. Because of its strategic role, Gartner even predicts that 90% of organizations will adopt a hybrid cloud approach through 2027.1
But this critical flexibility introduces unique security challenges. Organizations often have to manage policies and access for their 2 environments separately, inadvertently creating identity and permission sprawl. They also have limited visibility into decades-old on-prem systems. And all of this culminates into a larger attack surface and increased security gaps. Organizations with on-prem and cloud environments need an identity security fabric that extends to all of the systems and resources that make their organization function. Below we will explore how Okta centralizes visibility, governance, access, and protection across your hybrid environment at each stage of authentication.
Before Authentication
When managing separate cloud and on-prem environments, it is crucial to be able to gain visibility into the webs of access built over the years. Identity Security Posture Management (ISPM) makes this easier by providing comprehensive visibility into cloud and Active Directory identities and groups in one location. IT and security teams will find it easier to discover all identities across their multiple environments in one location and detect and fix unused user and admin accounts before an attacker can exploit them.
Then, in order to maintain this posture, Okta Identity Governance (OIG) can be leveraged to govern identities that live in Active Directory in the same plane as cloud-based identities. Risky standing access is modernized with preset policies that determine who can access what and for how long, removing security gaps caused by lingering access. And for your highest privilege Active Directory accounts, Okta Privileged Access (OPA) can manage the full password lifecycle and become the central enforcement point for security controls.
Most importantly, extending ISPM, OIG, and OPA to Active Directory uses the existing Okta AD agent to connect to your on-prem environment. This enables our customers to get started in just a few clicks, reduce complexity, and save IT time and resources with only a single agent to manage.
During Authentication
Providing end users with seamless access to their most important resources is a top priority for many customers in order to keep up productivity and efficiency. Okta Access Gateway is the bridge for connecting on-prem apps and providing end users with a single location to access all of their resources. But just as important is system uptime and resilience, so you don’t lose trust or productivity at critical moments. With OAG’s Temporary Offline Mode, customers with disconnected environments, like those in remote locations or aircraft carriers at sea, can maintain productivity and access essential resources even during network disruptions.
After Authentication
Once verified users have logged in, continuous review of their access is imperative to reduce identity sprawl and the attack surface. OIG steps in here to automate certification campaigns for on-prem resources, including AD groups. Recurring review of access not only keeps identity sprawl in check but also helps meet compliance requirements.
And what about bad actors outside of our environment trying to get in? Identity Threat Protection provides consistent monitoring of threats and alerts for your on-prem resources so that teams can take action to secure their users as soon as possible. This effort is taken up a notch when you add in OAG Universal Logout. When an on-prem resource is accessed through OAG, those signals get sent to ITP. Should a threat be detected, predetermined policies can then trigger an automated logout to quickly secure user accounts and reduce the exposure window.
Accelerate your journey to the cloud
Securing each part of your hybrid environment is crucial but equally important is the work being done to modernize your tech stack. A rip-and-replace strategy just won’t work for systems that have been built over decades so the best plan of action is to reduce reliance over time.
Okta supports the journey to the cloud from three main buckets: identities, credentials, and devices. End users will get streamlined access to their on-prem resources thanks to an increasing number of on-prem app connectors, like SAP Netweaver, Oracle EBS, and JDBC. Organizations can also gradually migrate user credentials from Active Directory (AD) to Okta to move away from passwords and implement stronger authentication methods. Finally, with Device-bound SSO, organizations can tie the user’s session directly to their managed device, creating a secure, phishing-resistant credential for seamless access to all their applications.
If you’re ready to secure your hybrid environment with Okta, contact us.
1 See Gartner
© 2026 Okta, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. These materials are intended for general informational purposes only. You are responsible for obtaining security, privacy, compliance, or business advice from your own professional advisors and should not rely solely on the information provided herein.
