Okta has agreed to acquire AI identity security startup Permiso Security, betting that demand for protecting AI agents and other machine identities will grow as enterprises deploy more autonomous software. Okta did not disclose deal terms, but a source familiar with the matter said the acquisition is valued at just under $200 million and structured as an almost all-cash transaction, a figure Okta did not dispute when asked. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of Okta’s fiscal 2027.
The acquisition reflects a broader shift among identity management companies toward continuously monitoring what users, applications, and AI agents do after gaining network access, rather than only verifying identity at login. Permiso, which emerged from stealth in 2022 and was co-founded by former FireEye executives Paul Nguyen and Jason Martin, builds software that detects suspicious activity in cloud environments and has expanded its platform to monitor AI agents and machine identities. In April, the company introduced SandyClaw, a sandboxed tool for analyzing AI agent behavior before deployment to catch malicious activity early.
Okta’s chief product officer Ely Kahn said Permiso would strengthen the company’s identity security capabilities with proven threat detection and a strong research team. Permiso has raised about $29 million to date, including an $18.5 million Series A round in 2024 led by Altimeter Capital that valued the company at roughly $80 million.
