Okta to acquire AI-focused identity security firm Permiso for roughly $200 million

Okta disclosed an agreement to acquire Permiso Security, an AI-driven identity-security startup, in a deal valued at just under $200 million and largely paid in cash. The transaction is slated to finalize in the third quarter of Okta’s fiscal 2027, pending standard closing conditions. Permiso, which emerged from stealth in 2022, offers software that detects suspicious activity by users, applications, and AI agents after they gain authorized access, and it recently introduced a sandbox platform named SandyClaw to assess AI agent behavior.

Co-founders Paul Nguyen and Jason Martin, both former FireEye executives, have guided the Palo Alto-based firm, which has secured $29 million in funding, including an $18.5 million Series A round led by Altimeter Capital that valued the company at about $80 million. Okta’s chief product officer Ely Kahn said the acquisition will extend the company’s identity-security fabric with proven threat detection capabilities. The move reflects a broader industry shift toward continuous monitoring of machine identities as enterprises embed AI deeper into their operations.