Starter guide to understanding Okta

This document provides a technical overview of Okta’s SaaS IAM platform, detailing core services (SSO, MFA, Universal Directory), integration via RESTful APIs and SCIM, data models for users/groups/apps/policies, access and authentication policies, session management mechanics (cookies, tokens, SSO/SLO), multi-tenant considerations, and end-to-end OAuth 2.0/OIDC and SAML workflows including token types, scopes, storage, and security controls. It explains how Okta functions as both IdP and SP, integrates with external directories (AD/LDAP/Google Workspace), and enforces fine-grained access via policies and network zones, setting the stage for future analysis of attack surfaces and detection strategies in Okta-centric environments.