Kunal Anand

In my latest episode, Okta CEO Todd McKinnon dives into the essential lessons he’s learned on high-stakes decision-making, managing up to the board, and competing against tech giants like Microsoft. Todd also reflects on his journey to founding Okta, his bold choice to team up with a co-founder he hardly knew, and the motivations that have fueled him for over seven years as a public company CEO. Some key takeaways… → How founders can strengthen board communication Early on at Okta, Todd recalls making the mistake of being too passive with the board. He would present issues and ask for input rather than confidently sharing his decision-making process and a clear plan. This approach was ineffective, as the board expects the CEO to lead with clear direction, not to use meetings for brainstorming. He realized the tone needed to shift to, “Here’s what we’re doing, the thought process behind it, the risks and opportunities, and potential ways we might pivot.” Effective board communication involves presenting a well-thought-out course of action, potential risks, and future pivots, rather than merely seeking opinions on challenges. → Okta’s approach to high-stakes decisions One tactic that has worked well for Okta is setting up two teams to present opposing views on big decisions. For example, if they were considering an acquisition, even if Todd was in favor, one team would argue why it’s an excellent idea, while another would argue against it. Each team spends an hour presenting their case, helping to achieve a balanced perspective. Okta uses this approach for product direction, prioritization, people moves, and other compounding decisions. → Focusing on customer value to survive In Okta’s third year, the team struggled to meet expectations, missing a key quarter and facing challenges while trying to raise their Series B. Despite limited signals of success, Todd realized the importance of focusing on true customer value, which he sees as the only reliable indicator of long-term viability. The following quarter, Okta experienced a modest breakthrough, slightly surpassing the sales target and marking a tipping point as market demand began to align with Okta’s vision. Since then, Okta has continued to thrive—even as a single-sign-on product facing intense competition from tech giants like Microsoft—proving the company’s resilience and the strength of its product-market fit. Full episode: https://lnkd.in/dDxbCTiq

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Out at BlackHat? Or just want to pose some "Tough But Fair" questions for your potential Zero Trust vendor? Check out my 2-minute video for the three questions you should challenge prospective vendors with.

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Identity belongs to you. Dive into the world of no-code identity orchestration with Neena Thomas from Okta on Cybercrime Magazine hosted by Scott Schober. Explore the latest insights on #NoCode, #cybercrime, #Okta, #hacking, #Identity, and more in this insightful podcast.

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Amplify detection capabilities with Recorded Future's Validated Sigma Rules, crafted by our research team to minimize false positives. Watch to see how to easily search, implement, and configure Sigma Rules without ever leaving Splunk.

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💡 How does my PKI’s status compare to that of others? Understanding where your Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) stands compared to others can be a game-changer. It’s not just about identifying benchmarks and best practices but also uncovering areas ripe for improvement. 🌟 While it’s crucial to tailor your PKI evaluation to fit your organization’s unique needs and constraints, benchmarking against industry reports, case studies, and peer-reviewed publications can offer invaluable insights into your PKI’s performance. 📊✨ Though the PKI Consortium doesn’t publish individual maturity assessment results, we provide a vibrant community where you can exchange experiences and learn from others. Join our working groups and tap into a wealth of shared knowledge! 🤝🌐 Learn more about PKI Maturity Model: https://pkic.org/pkimm/ #pki #pkimm #pkic #maturity #improvement #assessment #benchmark #guidance PKI Consortium

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Learn how the San Francisco Department of Public Health strengthens their security posture with Check Point Software Harmony Email & Collaboration. Join our webinar on May 15 to hear Lawrence Wolff and Don Byrne discuss the healthcare cyber crisis, the importance of #AI in #cybersecurity, and how to use AI to prevent phishing and ransomware attacks. What you'll learn: ✅ Strategies to defend against advanced Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks ✅ How to implement a robust, #AI-powered defense-in-depth strategy ✅ Best practices for protecting sensitive data across a complex health ecosystem Save your spot ➡️

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Pssssst-NISsssssT - are you ready for the future because it is here now? #NIST is close to making one of their most #monumental announcements in decades. #Cybersecurity is at the precipice of a global game changing moment. A critically relevant #quantum computer (#CRQC) is nearly upon us and QuSecure is the leading company that can help #protect you and your #data. Reach out to QuSecure to learn more about how you can be prepared with our QuProtect #PQC #crypto agile software today. https://lnkd.in/gpdXmmBJ.

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You probably heard about BeyondTrust acquiring Entitle for ~$150 million. Here's the part you may not have heard: Co-founder Ron Nissim called his shot about IGA converging with PAM just over a year ago. I had the opportunity to interview Ron last year right before Entitle came out of stealth. One of the topics we talked about was the convergence of IGA and PAM use cases. At the time, he had a theory: "I have a theory that IGA and PAM are converging in the cloud. What's essentially been happening to us is that we've been solving a lot of [PAM] use cases. We can provide a lot of the things that customers need from PAM, like just-in-time, temporary access management." He may not have fully realized it then, but his theory was totally right. This early insight ended up being one of the main strategic drivers for BeyondTrust's acquisition of Entitle. Congratulations to the Entitle team! ___ Thanks again to Elizabeth Safran and Dean Pe’er for making this interview happen. The full discussion from February 2023 is available on my website if you want to revisit Entitle's journey from launch to acquisition.

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Okta signed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Secure by Design pledge at #RSAC to take meaningful steps in adopting #secure by design principles in the coming year. I am excited that we are accompanying our peers in the industry to take the steps needed to prioritize application security. Identity-based #attacks have become a top method for cybercriminals, and according to the Open Worldwide Application Security Project, broken access control is the number one most common web application security risk. It’s putting companies building their applications at risk. This is a priority for Okta. There’s never been a more critical time for us to come together and implement secure design principles to keep the #identity #secure. Learn more about this pledge https://bit.ly/3UQNLbz. Tomorrow is also Okta Showcase! I am excited to join Todd McKinnon, Sagnik Nandy , and others to share the latest product innovations & commitments Okta is making to secure identity. You can tune in here: https://bit.ly/4cLldaI

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Looking for a way to stay cool? Grab a popsicle and catch up on the latest issue of the AuthZ newsletter. If you’re an #identity or #authorization enthusiast, this weekly digest is a must read. Subscribe and share!

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I agree with everyting, except the name 😉non-human identity (#NHI) is misguided and based on the wrong assumption this type of identity is an exception, a minority when compared to human IDs. But, today there are 10 times more machine identities in the cloud than humans. Should we humans be called non-machines??? No. There are (human) identities 👩🏻, and machine identities 🤖. Non-human also sounds like something so negative, and when the machines rise they will remember who profiled them that way 😅 #machineid #machineidentity #machineidentitymanagement #iga #saviynt

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The U.S. Department of Defense has an agency with over 75 identity products. 75!!! Just identity! Unbelievable... ...unless you've spent time working in large enterprises. Stuff like this happens all the time. There's a great insight here about what "consolidation" means to buyers. More often than you'd expect, vendor consolidation is just about picking one to standardize on and getting rid of the duplicates. That's it. It's not always about buying multiple products from the same platform to consolidate vendors across product categories. Nope. Just get everyone in my company to use the same thing. That's a lot harder (and a lot more impactful) than it sounds!

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Our #WednesdayWisdom with Rinki Sethi ✨️ This time talking about one of the most relevant topics for CISOs - Board reporting. Check out our new series of CISO conversations and feel free to share your thoughts 👇 #CISOconvos #leadership #boardreporting #metrics #sla ##cyberstrategy Onyxia Cyber

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As we get back from the craziness of RSAC, I'm getting ready for the next big event on the horizon. The CISO Village Summit by Team8 is back with 100 CISOs and security leaders joining me this June in California! The magic of the Summit is more than that of a regular conference; our 300-strong community is a place of genuine curiosity, innovation, and collaboration, offering a forum for professional and personal growth alongside the industry's best. Throughout this exclusive five-day event, don't miss the chance to engage in meaningful discussions with industry leaders on: * The changing threat landscape * AI’s impact on cybersecurity’s challenges and solutions * Socio-economics and geopolitical tensions filtering into cybersecurity policy * The complex CISO-CEO relationship * And more. Spots are limited and closing fast— so apply now to not miss out! https://lnkd.in/gKj-jvS5 Team8 #Team8CISOVillage #Cybersecurity

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really liked the takeaways SeeMetrics distilled from this, esp about consensus security metrics still being unsettled as the technology, threats, and understanding levels are changing very quickly. https://lnkd.in/gZrxbsWQ

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Cybersecurity is more than an IT issue—it's a business issue. Yet, many companies struggle to communicate cyber risks in terms that the board and executives can understand. This disconnect often leads to poor prioritization and costly mistakes. #cyberrisk #cybermaturity

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On Cyberwork LLC, Jonathan Gill, CEO of Panaseer, talks about the stress-filled role of the Chief Information Security Officer. Jonathan notes that the most challenging part of a CISO’s role, especially the CISO of a large, complex company, is the lack of full view of the organization’s assets and points of vulnerability. He also tells us how Panaseer is working to create a trusted and validated system of record to ensure accurate and good faith recording of actions, strategies, and decisions to accept or mitigate business risks. All this, and a discussion of the CISO as one of the story-makers in the C-suite, on Cyber Work 🧠

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Understanding your SPRS score is critical for NIST 800-171 compliance, but managing it can be complex. Victor Cich, Compliance Consultant at RADICL demonstrates how our platform’s live score calculator gives you real-time updates as you assess each requirement, making compliance tracking easier for your team. Check out this clip to see how our platform simplifies compliance management. How do you ensure your team stays on top of compliance? #SPRS #ComplianceTracking #NIST800171 #CyberSecurity #RADICL #DefenseIndustry

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Thoughtful article on RSA by Byron Acohido.

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