Okta Active Directory Integration: Bridging On-Premises and Cloud Identity Management

As organizations migrate to cloud services, they often need to maintain existing Active Directory infrastructure while extending modern authentication capabilities to SaaS applications. Okta’s Active Directory Integration synchronizes identities between your on-premises AD and Okta, preserving established user management processes while enabling modern authentication features like SSO and MFA.

Prerequisites

• Okta Organization: Super Admin permissions required
• Active Directory: Domain Admin or equivalent rights
• Network Connectivity: Outbound HTTPS access from AD environment to Okta
• Email Infrastructure: Users must have valid email addresses for activation

Planning Considerations

User Principal Name (UPN) Requirements

Okta usernames must be in email format. If your AD domain uses .local or non-routable domains, consider adding a routable UPN suffix before synchronization.

Organizational Structure

Plan which Organizational Units (OUs) to synchronize. Creating dedicated OUs for Okta-managed users provides better control and security.

Step 1: Prepare Active Directory Environment

Create Dedicated Organizational Unit

1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers
2. Right-click your domain and select New > Organizational Unit
3. Name the OU (e.g., “Okta Sync Users”)
4. Move target users into this OU

Configure UPN Suffixes (If Required)

If your domain uses .local or non-email domains, add a routable UPN suffix:

# Add routable UPN suffix to forest
Get-ADForest | Set-ADForest -UPNSuffixes @{add="company.com"}

# Update user UPN suffixes
Get-ADUser -Filter * -SearchBase "OU=Okta Sync Users,DC=company,DC=local" | 
    Set-ADUser -UserPrincipalName {$_.SamAccountName + "@company.com"}

Verify User Email Addresses

Ensure all users have valid email addresses in the mail attribute:

# Check users without email addresses
Get-ADUser -Filter * -Properties mail -SearchBase "OU=Okta Sync Users,DC=company,DC=local" | 
    Where-Object {$_.mail -eq $null} | 
    Select-Object Name, SamAccountName, mail

Step 2: Install Okta AD Agent

Download and Prepare Agent

1. Log into Okta Admin Console
2. Navigate to Directory > Directory Integrations
3. Click Add Directory and select Active Directory
4. Download the Okta AD Agent installer

Installation Best Practices

For Production:

• Install on dedicated member servers (not domain controllers)
• Deploy at least two agents for high availability
• Use service accounts with minimal required permissions

For Testing:

• Domain controller installation acceptable for proof-of-concept

Run Installation Wizard

1. Execute installer with administrative privileges
2. Provide configuration details:
   • AD Domain: Select domain to synchronize
   • Service Account: Allow automatic creation or specify existing account
   • Proxy Settings: Configure if required
   • Okta Organization URL: Your Okta tenant URL

Complete Agent Activation

1. Copy the activation code provided during installation
2. Follow the activation link to complete setup
3. Verify agent status in Okta Admin Console > Directory Integrations

Step 3: Configure Directory Synchronization

Select Synchronization Scope

1. In the Okta AD Agent configuration, select:
   • Organizational Unit: Choose the OU containing target users
   • Username Format:
     • UPN: If users have email-format UPNs
     • Email: If using the mail attribute

Attribute Mapping Configuration

1. Allow Okta to scan and discover AD attributes
2. Review default attribute mappings:
   • firstName: givenName
   • lastName: sn
   • email: mail or userPrincipalName
   • login: Based on selected username format

Configure Import Settings

Navigate to Directory Integrations > [Your AD Integration] > Settings:

Import Settings:

• Import Schedule: Configure automatic sync frequency
• Import Scope: Verify OU selection
• Deactivation: Choose behavior for disabled AD users

Advanced Options:

• Group Import: Enable if syncing AD security groups
• Incremental Updates: Enable for efficient synchronization
• Conflict Resolution: Define handling of duplicate users

Step 4: Import and Activate Users

Initial User Import

1. Navigate to Directory Integrations > [Your AD Integration] > Import
2. Click Import Now
3. Select Full Import for initial synchronization
4. Review import preview and confirm assignments

Review Imported Users

1. Go to Directory > People
2. Imported users appear with “Staged for activation” status
3. Review user details and attribute mapping accuracy

Activate Users

Individual Activation:

1. Select users in Directory > People
2. Click Activate
3. Users receive activation emails

Bulk Activation:

1. Select multiple users
2. Choose Activate from bulk actions menu
3. Configure welcome email settings

Step 5: Ongoing Management and Monitoring

Monitor Synchronization Status

Check Sync Health:

• Directory Integrations: View last sync status and errors
• System Log: Monitor import events and conflicts
• Agent Status: Verify agent connectivity and health

Common Monitoring Points:

• Failed user imports
• Attribute mapping conflicts
• Agent connectivity issues
• Sync schedule adherence

User Lifecycle Management

User Updates:

• Changes in AD automatically sync to Okta
• Attribute updates reflect based on configured mappings
• Group membership changes sync if group import enabled

User Deactivation:

• Disabled AD accounts can be automatically deactivated in Okta
• Configure deactivation policies in integration settings

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Import Failures

Invalid Email Addresses:

• Verify all users have valid email in mail attribute
• Check UPN format compliance
• Update AD user attributes as needed

Attribute Mapping Errors:

• Review attribute mapping configuration
• Check for required fields missing in AD
• Validate data format requirements

Agent Connectivity Issues

Network Connectivity:

• Verify outbound HTTPS (443) access to Okta
• Check proxy configuration if applicable
• Validate DNS resolution for Okta endpoints

Authentication Problems:

• Verify service account permissions
• Check agent service status
• Review Windows Event Logs

Security Best Practices

Service Account Management

• Use dedicated service accounts with minimal permissions
• Implement regular password rotation
• Monitor service account activity

Network Security

• Restrict agent server access
• Use dedicated VLANs for identity infrastructure
• Implement proper firewall rules

Monitoring and Auditing

• Enable comprehensive logging
• Monitor sync activities and failures
• Regular review of user access and attributes

Advanced Configuration Options

Group Synchronization

• Enable AD security group import
• Map groups to Okta groups
• Configure group-based application assignments

Custom Attribute Mapping

• Map custom AD attributes to Okta profile fields
• Configure expression-based mappings
• Handle complex data transformations

This integration provides a seamless bridge between traditional Active Directory infrastructure and modern cloud-based identity management, enabling organizations to maintain existing processes while gaining advanced authentication capabilities.

Okta Active Directory Integration: Bridging On-Premises and Cloud Identity Management