Okta has agreed to acquire Permiso Security, a startup focused on AI identity protection, in a deal that underscores the growing importance of securing machine identities across modern digital systems. A source familiar with the transaction said the purchase price is just under $200 million, with the agreement structured largely as an all-cash deal.
The acquisition reflects a broader shift in identity security: companies are moving beyond login verification and toward continuous monitoring of how users, applications, and AI agents behave after access is granted. As autonomous software becomes more common in enterprise workflows, demand is rising for tools that can detect unusual activity in real time.
Permiso, founded by former FireEye executives Paul Nguyen and Jason Martin, emerged in 2022 with software designed to identify suspicious behavior in cloud environments. The company later expanded its platform to track AI agents and other non-human identities, helping security teams analyze risk before deployment and during active use.
Okta said the deal is expected to close in its fiscal third quarter of 2027, pending standard closing conditions. The company described the acquisition as a way to deepen its identity security capabilities and extend threat detection across both human and machine access points.
With AI agents becoming a larger part of enterprise infrastructure, this acquisition signals a future where identity security will be built around continuous trust, adaptive monitoring, and smarter protection for digital operations.
