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IBM watsonx Orchestrate vs Okta for AI Agents

IBM watsonx Orchestrate

Agent management platform to build, deploy, orchestrate, and govern AI agents

Okta for AI Agents

Okta offering that gives AI agents a first-class identity so organizations can discover, onboard, protect, and govern them

Short answer

IBM watsonx Orchestrate is a platform to build, run, and govern AI agents; Okta says Okta for AI Agents gives AI agents a first-class identity, registering in-house and third-party agents in an Okta org.⁠Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4, Source 5, Source 6 Okta assigns agents credentials, it says, and admins define what each can access; watsonx Orchestrate’s per-agent identity is in private preview.⁠Source 7, Source 8, Source 9, Source 10

By Blocks.ai teamLast checked

Where each one sits

Six layers of running AI agents at a company, and what each product’s own public sources say it covers.

These aren’t the same kind of product

Where they overlap
Both keep a catalog or directory of agents, take in agents built on other platforms, apply controls to agents, and generate audit events.⁠Source 4, Source 5, Source 9, Source 11, Source 12, Source 13, Source 14, Source 15, Source 16
Where they differ
watsonx Orchestrate also builds and runs agents, with IBM-hosted and third-party models; Okta’s docs describe registering agents built in-house or on other platforms.⁠Source 2, Source 5, Source 6, Source 17, Source 18
Running both
Okta says it manages agents from any vendor, and custom-built agents can be registered by hand.⁠Source 5, Source 19 Neither vendor publicly documents using the two together.
Public sources · checked 2 October 2026
  • Offered
  • Preview
  • Not publicly documented

IBM watsonx Orchestrate

  • Build agents: OfferedVisual builder and ADK⁠Source 17
  • Host and run agents: OfferedAgents run on watsonx Orchestrate⁠Source 2
  • Identity and access: PreviewAgent identity⁠Source 20
  • Registry and governance: OfferedAgentic Control Plane⁠Source 21
  • Traffic between agents, tools, and models: OfferedA2A calls to agent endpoints⁠Source 12
  • Agents across organizations: OfferedPartner A2A agents in catalog⁠Source 12

Okta for AI Agents

  • Build agents: Not publicly documented
  • Host and run agents: Not publicly documented
  • Identity and access: OfferedAgent identity and credentials⁠Source 8
  • Registry and governance: OfferedUniversal Directory with human owners⁠Source 7
  • Traffic between agents, tools, and models: PreviewAgent Gateway for MCP tools⁠Source 22
  • Agents across organizations: Not publicly documented

At a glance

TopicIBM watsonx OrchestrateOkta for AI Agents
Builds and runs agentsIBM says agents can be built in a visual builder.⁠Source 17 Agents built with the Agent Development Kit run on watsonx Orchestrate.⁠Source 2Agent-building tools are not publicly documented. Okta can register agents built in-house or on other platforms.⁠Source 5, Source 6
Agent identityPlatform SSO for people can use OIDC or SAML.⁠Source 23 Per-agent identity through IBM Verify or Microsoft Entra is in private preview.⁠Source 10Okta says agents get an identity in Universal Directory, alongside workforce users, with cryptographic credentials.⁠Source 7 Agents added by hand use a client ID, secret, key pair, or metadata document.⁠Source 8
Where it runsManaged SaaS on AWS or IBM Cloud, or installed on premises.⁠Source 24, Source 25A subscription on an Okta org.⁠Source 26 Its Agent Gateway, in preview, has an Okta-hosted URL.⁠Source 27
Pricing modelBy plan: Essentials from $530 a month for 4,000 monthly active users, Standard from $6,360 a month, and Premium on request.⁠Source 28 A 30-day free trial.⁠Source 28Okta says it is a separate subscription, listed as an add-on to Okta suite plans.⁠Source 3, Source 29 A list price is not publicly documented.
MaturityIBM said the unified release of watsonx Orchestrate was generally available in January 2024; the Agentic Control Plane followed in June 2026.⁠Source 30, Source 31 AI Gateway, which can discover agents on other platforms, is in preview.⁠Source 32Okta announced general availability in a post dated 29 April 2026.⁠Source 33 Its Agent Gateway is in preview.⁠Source 19

What each one is

IBM watsonx Orchestrate

IBM describes watsonx Orchestrate as an agent management platform to build, deploy, orchestrate, manage, and govern AI agents.⁠Source 1 It describes the Agentic Control Plane, added on AWS and IBM Cloud in June 2026, as a central layer to observe and govern agents.⁠Source 21, Source 31

Okta for AI Agents

Okta for AI Agents helps a company discover, manage, and secure the lifecycle of its AI agents in its Okta org.⁠Source 4 Okta says agents sit in Universal Directory alongside workforce users; they can be given owners, and admins define what each can access.⁠Source 7, Source 8, Source 9

The differences that matter

  1. Building and running agents

    IBM watsonx Orchestrate

    IBM says agents can be built in a visual builder with drag-and-drop and natural language; Agent Development Kit agents run on watsonx Orchestrate.⁠Source 2, Source 17

    Okta for AI Agents

    Okta can register agents built elsewhere: custom-built agents by hand, and agents from third-party builder platforms by import.⁠Source 5

    Agents on watsonx Orchestrate can use IBM-hosted or third-party models; the default in most regions is GPT-OSS 120B via Groq.⁠Source 18

  2. Agent identity

    IBM watsonx Orchestrate

    Per-agent identity, with IBM Verify or Microsoft Entra, is in private preview; existing authentication types use an impersonation model.⁠Source 10, Source 20

    Okta for AI Agents

    Okta says agents are registered in Universal Directory alongside workforce users.⁠Source 7 Agents added by hand use a client ID, secret, key pair, or metadata document.⁠Source 8

    Up to five owners per agent: in watsonx Orchestrate as part of the agent identity private preview, and in Okta, for agents added by hand, as optional individual owners.⁠Source 8, Source 10

  3. Agents from other platforms

    IBM watsonx Orchestrate

    Agents hosted elsewhere are added by endpoint; IBM says discovering agents in AgentCore, Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, or Azure AI Foundry is in preview.⁠Source 34, Source 35, Source 36, Source 37

    Okta for AI Agents

    Okta says it manages agents from any vendor and can import agents from platforms such as Salesforce Agentforce, Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, and Microsoft Copilot Studio.⁠Source 6, Source 19

    Okta ISPM discovers agents from several sources; the full SKU includes ISPM, and the Core SKU for regulated environments excludes it.⁠Source 7, Source 38, Source 39

For security teams

What a security review asks, answered from each vendor’s public documentation.

TopicIBM watsonx OrchestrateOkta for AI Agents
Network exposureExternal agents need accessible endpoints.⁠Source 34 On IBM Cloud: a Satellite TLS tunnel, private endpoints, and network controls.⁠Source 14, Source 40, Source 41, Source 42Whether agents need an inbound endpoint is not publicly documented. Okta’s Agent Gateway, in preview, has an Okta-hosted URL.⁠Source 27
IdentityPlatform SSO uses OIDC or SAML.⁠Source 23 Per-agent identity is in private preview; existing authentication uses an impersonation model.⁠Source 10, Source 20Agents added by hand use a client ID, secret, key pair, or metadata document.⁠Source 8 Agent-to-agent tokens are scoped and expire.⁠Source 43
Access changes and revocationOn IBM Cloud, undeploying a released agent version is logged; removing an agent from AI Gateway’s directory (preview) is permanent.⁠Source 44, Source 45Okta says deactivating an agent immediately blocks new sessions.⁠Source 46 Removing a resource connection denies future access requests to it.⁠Source 47
Audit trailAudit events can be routed where you choose on IBM Cloud, or sent to your S3 and CloudWatch on AWS.⁠Source 15, Source 48Agent events land in Okta’s System Log, and log streaming sends them to Amazon EventBridge or Splunk Cloud.⁠Source 4, Source 49
ComplianceIBM says watsonx Orchestrate is FedRAMP authorized on AWS GovCloud (US) and the company holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification.⁠Source 50, Source 51Okta says its Core SKU is GA for FedRAMP and HIPAA environments and Okta holds SOC 2 and ISO 27001.⁠Source 39, Source 52

Full comparison

18 criteria in five groups. Every cell links to its source, or says no public source answers it.

IBM watsonx Orchestrate and Okta for AI Agents compared on 18 criteria
IBM watsonx OrchestrateOkta for AI Agents
What it is
What it is and who it’s forIBM calls it an agent management platform to build, deploy, orchestrate, manage, and govern AI agents, for IT, security, and AI leaders.⁠Source 1Okta says it gives AI agents a first-class identity so a company can discover, onboard, protect, and govern them, within its Okta org.⁠Source 3, Source 4
MaturityIBM said its unified release was GA in January 2024; the Agentic Control Plane followed in June 2026.⁠Source 30, Source 31 AI Gateway and some dashboards are in preview.⁠Source 32, Source 53GA announced in a post dated 29 April 2026.⁠Source 33 Agent Gateway is in preview; Okta said customers could request its research release as of 22 July 2026.⁠Source 19
Control
Agent registry and discoveryIBM says its searchable catalog holds prebuilt and custom agents and tools.⁠Source 11 AI Gateway’s agent directory (preview) registers imported external agents.⁠Source 45Agents can be registered by hand or imported from builder platforms.⁠Source 5 Okta ISPM, in the full SKU, discovers agents.⁠Source 7, Source 38
Identity and access controlPlatform SSO with OIDC or SAML, and user, builder, and administrator roles.⁠Source 23, Source 54 Per-agent identity is in private preview.⁠Source 10Agents added by hand use a client ID, secret, key pair, or metadata document, and admins list which apps, services, and other agents may call each one.⁠Source 8
Ownership, policy, and revocationOn SaaS outside AWS GovCloud, controls cover content safety, sensitive data, model traffic, and network access.⁠Source 14 Up to five owners, in private preview.⁠Source 10Agents added by hand: optional owners, up to five individuals.⁠Source 8 Okta says deactivating an agent immediately blocks new sessions.⁠Source 46
Audit log and observabilityOn IBM Cloud, audit events can be routed where you choose.⁠Source 15 On AWS, audit logs can go to your S3 and CloudWatch.⁠Source 48Agent events land in Okta’s System Log, streamable to EventBridge or Splunk Cloud.⁠Source 4, Source 49 Okta says it logs the delegation chain of agent-to-agent calls.⁠Source 55
Connection
How agents connectADK agents run on watsonx Orchestrate.⁠Source 2 Agents hosted elsewhere need an accessible endpoint.⁠Source 34 On IBM Cloud: a Satellite TLS tunnel and private endpoints.⁠Source 40, Source 41Okta issues agent-to-agent tokens, and the caller sends its token to the agent it calls.⁠Source 26, Source 43 Agent Gateway, in preview, puts MCP tools behind one endpoint.⁠Source 22
Agents across organizationsExcept on premises, partner A2A agents can be added from the catalog.⁠Source 12 A connection sets how watsonx Orchestrate authenticates to an external A2A agent.⁠Source 56Not publicly documented (checked 2 October 2026)
Protocol supportCalls external A2A agents over JSON-RPC and exposes its agents through A2A endpoints.⁠Source 57, Source 58 Imports MCP tools; OAuth 2.1 isn’t supported for MCP connections.⁠Source 59MCP servers can be agent resources.⁠Source 9 Agent-to-agent calls use Cross App Access token exchange.⁠Source 26 Okta for AI Agents’ docs don’t mention the A2A protocol.
Frameworks, models, and clouds supportedIBM says it supports native, Langflow, LangGraph, and A2A agents.⁠Source 60 Agents with an OpenAI-style chat completions endpoint and Copilot Studio agents can be added.⁠Source 57Okta says it manages agents from any vendor, agents built in-house with code such as Python or LangChain, and agents in purchased software.⁠Source 3, Source 6, Source 19
Operations
Deployment options and data residencySaaS on AWS or IBM Cloud, or on premises on IBM Cloud Pak for Data or IBM Software Hub.⁠Source 24, Source 25 The control plane isn’t supported in AWS GovCloud (US).⁠Source 53A subscription on an Okta org.⁠Source 26 Okta says its Core SKU registers agents inside an org’s regulated cell.⁠Source 39 Agent Gateway, in preview, has an Okta-hosted URL.⁠Source 27
Compliance attestationsIBM says the product is FedRAMP authorized on AWS GovCloud (US), and the company holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification.⁠Source 50, Source 51 Premium lists a HIPAA-ready option.⁠Source 28Okta says its Core SKU is GA for FedRAMP and HIPAA environments, and the full SKU for HIPAA.⁠Source 7, Source 39 Okta says the company holds SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications.⁠Source 52
Support and SLAOn AWS, IBM states a 99.9% availability SLA.⁠Source 61 On IBM Cloud, it points to the base IBM Cloud Service Description.⁠Source 62 Support cases can be opened.⁠Source 63Okta suites include online support 24 hours a day, five days a week.⁠Source 29 Premier Success Plans are sold separately.⁠Source 29
Time and effort to get runningIBM’s administrator guide covers environment setup and user access.⁠Source 64 Platform SSO is configured with IBM.⁠Source 23 The control plane needs the Admin or Builder role.⁠Source 53Needs an Okta org subscribed to the product.⁠Source 26 Okta lists prebuilt integrations with Salesforce Agentforce, Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, and ServiceNow AI Platform.⁠Source 33
Pricing model and public pricesEssentials from $530 and Standard from $6,360 a month, sized by users and messages; Premium on request.⁠Source 28 Prices are indicative.⁠Source 28Okta says it is a separate subscription, listed as an add-on to Okta suite plans.⁠Source 3, Source 29 A list price is not publicly documented.
Building
Agent building toolsIBM says agents can be built in a drag-and-drop visual builder or with the Agent Development Kit, and Langflow workflows deployed as tools.⁠Source 2, Source 17Not publicly documented (checked 2 October 2026)
Model accessIBM-hosted and third-party models, varying by cloud, region, and deployment.⁠Source 18 Default in most regions: GPT-OSS 120B via Groq.⁠Source 18 Others as virtual models.⁠Source 65Not publicly documented (checked 2 October 2026)
Integrations and ecosystemIBM says its catalog lists prebuilt IBM and partner agents, and ISVs can list agents through Agent Connect.⁠Source 11, Source 66 Sold via the IBM Cloud Catalog or AWS Marketplace.⁠Source 28Imports agents from platforms such as Salesforce Agentforce and Amazon Bedrock AgentCore.⁠Source 6 Okta lists Slack and Notion among Cross App Access apps.⁠Source 3

Which to choose

Choose IBM watsonx Orchestrate if

  • You want to build agents too, with the Python Agent Development Kit or, IBM says, a drag-and-drop visual builder.⁠Source 2, Source 17
  • You need an on-premises install (IBM Cloud Pak for Data or Software Hub), where some agent controls aren’t available, or SaaS.⁠Source 24, Source 25, Source 67
  • You want published plan prices: Essentials starts at $530 a month for 4,000 monthly active users, with a 30-day free trial.⁠Source 28
  • You want controls that can block unsafe content, protect sensitive data, govern model traffic, and restrict network access (not in AWS GovCloud).⁠Source 14

Choose Okta for AI Agents if

  • Your people are already in Okta, and you want agents alongside them in Universal Directory, as Okta says, with credentials assigned.⁠Source 7
  • Your agents come from many vendors and from in-house code, and you want one place to register them.⁠Source 6, Source 19, Source 33
  • You want admins to deactivate an agent, which Okta says blocks new sessions immediately, or remove a single resource connection.⁠Source 46, Source 47
  • You want access requests and certifications for agents and their linked apps, through Okta Identity Governance, an add-on.⁠Source 29, Source 68

Questions buyers ask

How is each one priced?

IBM watsonx Orchestrate is sold by plan: Essentials from $530 and Standard from $6,360 a month, with Premium on request and a 30-day free trial.⁠Source 28 Okta says Okta for AI Agents is a separate subscription.⁠Source 3 Its list price is not publicly documented.

Does each one give agents their own identity?

In watsonx Orchestrate, agent identity is a private preview that works with IBM Verify or Microsoft Entra, in a separate identity provider tenant.⁠Source 10 Okta says it registers agents in Universal Directory; a hand-added agent identifies with a client ID, secret, key pair, or metadata document.⁠Source 8, Source 33

Do they support MCP and A2A?

watsonx Orchestrate calls external A2A agents, exposes its own over A2A, and imports MCP tools.⁠Source 57, Source 58, Source 59 Okta can grant access to MCP-protected resources; its Agent Gateway, in preview, puts MCP servers’ tools behind one endpoint.⁠Source 9, Source 22 Okta for AI Agents’ docs don’t mention the A2A protocol.

Can either one reach agents at another organization?

Except on premises, watsonx Orchestrate can add partner A2A agents from its catalog, and a connection sets how it authenticates to an A2A agent.⁠Source 12, Source 56 Okta’s docs describe agents in the customer’s own org.⁠Source 4 Reaching another organization’s agents, with access it controls, is not publicly documented.

How we compare

Read the full method

Every claim on this page links to a public source. Where none answers a question, the page says so.

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Sources

75 public sources, each with the date we checked it. Every one opens in a new tab.

  1. Source 1: IBM watsonx Orchestrate IBM · checked Back:abc

  2. Source 2: Welcome to IBM watsonx Orchestrate Agent Development Kit IBM · checked Back:abcdefgh

  3. Source 3: Okta brings first-class identity to AI agents with Agent SSO Okta · checked Back:abcdefg

  4. Source 4: Okta for AI Agents (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:abcdefg

  5. Source 5: Add and register AI agents (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:abcdefg

  6. Source 6: Apps that support AI agent imports (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:abcdefg

  7. Source 7: Okta for AI Agents (product page) Okta · checked Back:abcdefghi

  8. Source 8: Add AI agents manually (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:abcdefghij

  9. Source 9: AI agent resource connections (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:abcde

  10. Source 10: Prerequisites for configuring agent identity IBM · checked Back:abcdefgh

  11. Source 11: IBM watsonx Orchestrate Agent Catalog IBM · checked Back:abc

  12. Source 12: Partner A2A (Agent2Agent) agents IBM · checked Back:abcde

  13. Source 13: Overview - Agents (watsonx Orchestrate ADK docs) IBM · checked Back to text

  14. Source 14: Protecting assets with controls IBM · checked Back:abcd

  15. Source 15: Activity tracking events on IBM Cloud IBM · checked Back:abc

  16. Source 16: AI agent imports (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back to text

  17. Source 17: AI Agent Builder | IBM watsonx Orchestrate IBM · checked Back:abcdef

  18. Source 18: Available AI models IBM · checked Back:abcd

  19. Source 19: Okta announces new innovations to secure AI agents at runtime and automate ongoing agent governance Okta · checked Back:abcdef

  20. Source 20: Agent identity overview IBM · checked Back:abc

  21. Source 21: AI Agent Control Plane | IBM watsonx Orchestrate IBM · checked Back:ab

  22. Source 22: Agent Gateway (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:abc

  23. Source 23: Configuring SSO for platform access IBM · checked Back:abcd

  24. Source 24: Regional availability and outbound IP addresses IBM · checked Back:abc

  25. Source 25: Installing on IBM watsonx Orchestrate On-premises IBM · checked Back:abc

  26. Source 26: Set up AI agent token exchange (Okta Developer) Okta · checked Back:abcde

  27. Source 27: Add an Agent Gateway (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:abc

  28. Source 28: IBM watsonx Orchestrate Pricing IBM · checked Back:abcdefgh

  29. Source 29: Plans & pricing (Okta) Okta · checked Back:abcde

  30. Source 30: The AI Assistant for everyone: watsonx Orchestrate combines generative AI and automation to boost productivity | IBM IBM · checked Back:ab

  31. Source 31: Agentic Control Plane in IBM watsonx Orchestrate: One place to control every AI agent IBM · checked Back:abc

  32. Source 32: Governing assets with AI Gateway IBM · checked Back:ab

  33. Source 33: Okta for AI Agents is now generally available Okta · checked Back:abcde

  34. Source 34: Adding agents from third-party platforms IBM · checked Back:abc

  35. Source 35: Connecting and configuring Amazon Bedrock IBM · checked Back to text

  36. Source 36: Connecting and configuring Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform IBM · checked Back to text

  37. Source 37: Connecting and configuring Microsoft Azure AI Foundry IBM · checked Back to text

  38. Source 38: Discover and assess AI agents (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:ab

  39. Source 39: Okta is the first independent and neutral identity platform to bring AI agent governance to highly regulated environments Okta · checked Back:abcd

  40. Source 40: Configuring TLS tunnel IBM · checked Back:ab

  41. Source 41: Using private network endpoints IBM · checked Back:ab

  42. Source 42: Configuring network controls IBM · checked Back to text

  43. Source 43: Agent-to-agent connections (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:ab

  44. Source 44: List of events for activity tracking IBM · checked Back to text

  45. Source 45: Managing the agent directory IBM · checked Back:ab

  46. Source 46: New Okta for AI Agents innovations increase visibility into agent behavior, secure connections at runtime, and enforce continuous agent governance Okta · checked Back:abc

  47. Source 47: Connect AI agents to resources (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:ab

  48. Source 48: Enabling external logging for AWS IBM · checked Back:ab

  49. Source 49: Log streaming (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back:ab

  50. Source 50: IBM Expands FedRAMP Portfolio with Authorization of 11 Software Solutions, Including watsonx IBM · checked Back:ab

  51. Source 51: ISO 27001 - IBM Corporation Certificate (Bureau Veritas, ISO/IEC 27001:2022) IBM · checked Back:ab

  52. Source 52: Okta Security Trust Center | Powered by SafeBase Okta · checked Back:ab

  53. Source 53: Agentic Control Plane IBM · checked Back:abc

  54. Source 54: Roles on IBM watsonx Orchestrate IBM · checked Back to text

  55. Source 55: Securing your multi-agent workflows with Agent-to-Agent Connections Okta · checked Back to text

  56. Source 56: Adding an agent-to-agent connection IBM · checked Back:ab

  57. Source 57: Connect to external agents (watsonx Orchestrate ADK docs) IBM · checked Back:abc

  58. Source 58: Agent-to-Agent (A2A) Protocol endpoints IBM · checked Back:ab

  59. Source 59: MCP servers IBM · checked Back:ab

  60. Source 60: Manage all your AI agents in one place with watsonx Orchestrate IBM · checked Back to text

  61. Source 61: High availability, business continuity, backups and disaster recovery on AWS IBM · checked Back to text

  62. Source 62: Licenses and entitlements for watsonx Orchestrate on IBM Cloud IBM · checked Back to text

  63. Source 63: Getting help and support IBM · checked Back to text

  64. Source 64: Getting started as an administrator IBM · checked Back to text

  65. Source 65: Choosing your LLM (watsonx Orchestrate ADK docs) IBM · checked Back to text

  66. Source 66: Any agent, any framework: Inside the IBM watsonx Orchestrate Agent Catalog IBM · checked Back to text

  67. Source 67: Managing asset controls IBM · checked Back to text

  68. Source 68: Govern access to AI agents (Okta Help Center) Okta · checked Back to text

  69. Source 69: Why Blocks? Blocks.ai · checked Back to text

  70. Source 70: What is Blocks? Blocks.ai · checked Back to text

  71. Source 71: Your company's private network Blocks.ai · checked Back to text

  72. Source 72: Network requirements Blocks.ai · checked Back to text

  73. Source 73: Solutions: Agent sprawl Blocks.ai · checked Back to text

  74. Source 74: Solutions: Partner networks Blocks.ai · checked Back to text

  75. Source 75: Pricing Blocks.ai · checked Back to text