Okta has agreed to acquire AI identity-security startup Permiso Security, aiming to strengthen its ability to protect AI agents and other machine identities in corporate systems. The deal reflects a broader shift in identity security from checking users at login to monitoring the activity of people, applications and autonomous software after access has been granted.

Okta did not disclose terms, but a source told TechCrunch the transaction is worth just under $200 million and is almost entirely cash; it is expected to close in Okta’s third fiscal quarter of 2027. Permiso, founded by former FireEye executives and launched publicly in 2022, has raised about $29 million, developed cloud identity-threat detection tools and recently introduced SandyClaw to test AI-agent skills for malicious behaviour before deployment.