In the high-stakes world of biotech, your organization is built on trust. The trust that your research and clinical trial data are protected, your intellectual property, systems, and partner platforms are secure, and your teams can access critical systems without friction. Identity and access management (IAM) isn’t just an IT checkbox; it’s the gatekeeper of your most sensitive assets, from patient records and genomic datasets to proprietary algorithms and FDA submissions. In fact, the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Report found that the use of stolen credentials is one of the top attack tactics and was used in 32% of data breaches. To keep your organization secure, we’re recommending that our clients break up with Okta and transition to Microsoft Enterprise Applications—a unified, security-first platform that aligns with the scale, complexity, and regulatory demands of life sciences.
Biotech, pharmaceutical, and life science companies deal with enormous data sets, multi-disciplinary teams spanning remote and on-site workers, and stringent regulatory frameworks like 21 CFR Part 11, GxP, HIPAA, GDPR, and more. That’s why the tools you choose for IAM matter a lot. And if you're currently relying on Okta for identity services, it's time to ask a difficult but necessary question: Is Okta still the best choice for biotech?
The Cracks in Okta's Armor
Let’s start by looking at Okta’s security posture. In just the past few years, Okta has faced multiple publicized breaches—each one casts doubt on their ability to safeguard customer data.
January 2022: Multiple Attacks and the Lapsus$ Breach
In 2022, Okta was hit with a phishing attack, experienced a breach, and had its GitHub source code stolen. In one of the more damaging incidents, the hacking group Lapsus$ gained access to a third-party workstation tied to Okta. Although the access window was limited to 25 minutes, up to 366 companies were potentially impacted, and Lapsus$ shared screenshots of Okta’s internal systems in a Telegram channel.
For biotech firms, where third-party risk is already a growing concern, this incident highlighted a sobering truth: even indirect access paths can be exploited. Worse, Okta faced scrutiny for the delay in public disclosure, which left affected organizations in the dark. Please read our blog on third-party risk management for more advice on reducing your vendor risk.
October 2023: Support System Compromised (Again)
Then came 2023. Okta disclosed another breach. This time, attackers used stolen credentials to access their customer support case management systems. The attackers were able to access data for 134 customers, including security-first companies like Cloudflare, BeyondTrust, and 1Password. This wasn’t just a support ticket snooping issue; threat actors downloaded session tokens that allowed them to hijack legitimate sessions, bypassing traditional authentication.
Organizations like BeyondTrust later confirmed that Okta’s failure to notify them immediately (it took them more than two weeks) made it harder to defend against attacks.
2024: Sign-On Policy Bypass Vulnerability
In 2024, a security researcher uncovered a flaw in Okta’s Classic app experience that allowed users with valid credentials to bypass sign-on policies under certain conditions. That meant authentication rules (such as MFA) designed to protect sensitive apps could be skipped altogether.
Authentication bypass flaws are a serious issue. Whether it’s a genomics pipeline or EHR data, the risk of unauthorized access to protected systems can lead to fines, data loss, or worse—the loss of IP.
5 Reasons Biotech Organizations Should Use Microsoft Enterprise Applications Instead
Okta has had a major breach every year for the past three years. We recommend biotech, pharma, and life science organizations move now, without waiting for a potential 2025 breach. Here’s why we recommend making the switch:
1. Cost Efficiency: Stop Paying Twice
If your organization is already using Microsoft 365 with an enterprise license (and we bet most of you are), you’re already licensed for Microsoft Enterprise Applications, which gives you access to world-class identity tools—Azure AD (now Microsoft Entra ID), conditional access, SSO, and multi-factor authentication. Why pay for the same functionality twice?
Moving to Microsoft Enterprise Applications allows you to eliminate redundant expenses. Some of our biotech clients have saved tens of thousands of dollars annually by dropping Okta and switching to Microsoft.
2. Seamless Integration with Your Existing Stack
Microsoft Enterprise Applications natively support SAML 2.0, just like Okta, so you’re not losing compatibility. But the real power comes from centralization. Instead of scattering logs, policies, and alerts across separate platforms, you unify them under Microsoft. For biotech firms that need to demonstrate compliance, this drastically simplifies your audit trail and strengthens your security telemetry. When your identity, email, endpoint, and collaboration tools all speak the same language—Microsoft—you reduce friction and boost cybersecurity resilience.
3. Better Device Provisioning with Autopilot
If your IT team uses Windows Autopilot to configure new devices, you’ve likely run into Autopilot failures caused by Okta integration. These are especially frustrating when you’re onboarding new lab employees, clinical partners, or contractors who need secure laptops quickly. Microsoft Enterprise Applications improve provisioning success rates dramatically. With native integration between Entra ID and Autopilot, your devices are fully enrolled, compliant, and ready to go, without painful workarounds.
4. Simplified Identity Architecture for Hybrid Environments
Let’s talk federation. Many biotech firms are still in a hybrid identity model—on-prem AD synced to Azure AD. Tossing Okta into the mix adds a third identity plane, which complicates authentication flows and makes future migrations a headache. Switching to Microsoft Enterprise Applications helps streamline your transition to a cloud-native identity model. You’ll reduce operational complexity, improve login performance, and simplify the path to Zero Trust.
Need to support labs in different countries or maintain segmented research environments? Microsoft Entra ID has robust support for conditional access, B2B collaboration, and identity governance built in.
5. Familiar UI = Happier Teams
If you’re worried about training and user friction, don’t be. Microsoft’s MyApps dashboard is visually similar to Okta’s tile page. Your researchers, compliance officers, and admin staff will feel right at home. That means faster adoption, fewer help desk tickets, and smoother logins across the board.
If It’s Time to Move On, We’ll Be Your Wingman for Your Breakup.
Microsoft Enterprise Applications give biotech firms a smarter, more integrated way to manage identity and access. You may already have the licenses, and we can help you make the most of them.
Pennant is a certified Microsoft reseller and integrator, and we specialize in biotech IT environments. Our team understands the unique demands of biotech—from GxP compliance and multi-site R&D teams to secure collaboration with CROs and external partners.
We’ve helped biotech clients:
Replace Okta with Microsoft Enterprise Applications in under 60 days.
Automate onboarding for clinical teams across multiple time zones.
Strengthen audit readiness with centralized logging and identity governance.
Ready to make the switch?
Reach out to Pennant today for a no-pressure consultation. We’ll assess your current identity setup and show you how to unlock the full value of Microsoft Enterprise Applications—securely and cost-effectively. Contact us now to schedule your assessment.
This post originally appeared on %P. Quantum Sol LLC. is affiliated with Pennant Networks, LLC.