.png)
Signing in with one click does not make only the live easier for employees. Using a Single Sign-On (SSO) has also benefits for the company. Founders, CTOs and IT Managers can choose between different options. Companies using the Google Workspace might be tempted to use Google’s own service. But as it lacks some functionalities, as we will see, other options like Okta might be considered. Choosing between Okta and Google SSO may seem like a simple decision at first glance. Okta is renowned for its comprehensive identity and access management capabilities, while Google, better known for its search engine, might appear to offer SSO merely as a secondary feature. But it’s not that straightforward as there are twists to make Google a powerful tool.
In fact, while Okta often comes out ahead in terms of features (but also in price!), the two solutions are tailored for different types of businesses. Depending on your organization’s size and needs, one might suit you better than the other. To guide your decision, we’ll compare these two solutions in key areas:
1. Setup and integration complexity: How easy is it to set up and connect with the rest of the workspace?
2. Authentication and multifactor authentication (MFA) options: How can accesses and identities can be given in a secure and efficient fashion?
3. User provisioning and deprovisioning: How can we make giving and removing access as easy as a breeze?
4. Access control and management: How do you keep the organisation safe?
5. Monitoring and reporting: How do you create and keep visibility?
However, before diving into the details, let’s clarify an important distinction regarding Google’s service:
Many people confuse Google SSO with Google Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM). Google Cloud IAM is a direct competitor to Okta, offering SAML-based SSO and SCIM provisioning for user lifecycle management. It’s an enterprise-grade identity solution, but it’s not free. It’s far from it. It is a powerful solution that comes with a significant price tag that might not be the right choice for small and mid-size companies.
In this article, when we refer to Google SSO, we’re talking about the Google Workspace SSO option that lets users log in to various applications with their Google account credentials. This is the same “Sign in with Google” feature you’ve likely seen on countless websites.
.png)
While Google SSO is free and easy to implement, it has its limitations, particularly in user lifecycle management. Google Workspace SSO lacks certain key identity and access management (IAM) features:
Because of these shortcomings, many organizations turn to dedicated IAM solutions like Okta. Other solutions could be Jumpcloud or IdentityOne but in this article we focus on Okta. For startups and small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs), an alternative approach might be pairing Google SSO with Corma. This combination allows businesses to leverage Google’s free SSO while getting advanced user lifecycle management and access control features through Corma. More on that later but let’s first take a closer look at how Okta and Google SSO compare in key areas.
One of the key benefits of Google SSO is its effortless setup. If you’re already using Google Workspace, there’s no need for a complex setup process—SSO is built-in and ready to go. In fact, more literally millions of websites that offer Google SSO as a login option, making it easy to integrate into your existing workflows. You are likely to cover 80% to 90% of all your tools with the Google SSO. There is hardly any new SaaS tool that appears without the SSO and the older legacy tools are also catching up. The reason for that is the simplicity for the provider as well as for the user.
Okta, however, requires a more hands-on approach. Configuring Okta SSO typically involves setting up SAML integrations for each SaaS application that you are using, and some apps may require manual configuration using API keys. Setting up the integration for a few key tools is usually feasible but the level of complexity means you’ll likely need a dedicated IT team to manage the setup and ongoing support of Okta. Another thing to consider is that APIs require effort to maintain them. API maintenance is time-consuming also because you will also need to reach out to the SaaS tool in order to get technical input which can take days and sometimes weeks. This makes the tool typically unsuitable for smaller teams that do not have a dedicated IT team.
It highly depends on the complexity of your organisation. If you’re looking for a simple, no-hassle solution that can be deployed quickly, Google SSO is the better choice. Despite being the go-to solution for startups, it can scale well with a larger team size. Okta, while more comprehensive, requires a greater investment of time and technical expertise during setup. On the other side, this allows you for greater in-house customisation, but this comes at a price.
When it comes to authentication, Google SSO allows employees to use their Google Workspace credentials to access third-party applications. This simplicity makes it a great option for smaller businesses or tech companies that heavily rely on SaaS solutions. However, Okta offers more flexibility by allowing organizations to store identities in its Universal Directory or pull them from external sources such as Google Workspace or Microsoft AD and other Identity Providers (IdP). Keep in mind that using Okta’s Universal Directory adds an extra 2€ per user per month to your costs.
Both Okta and Google SSO support multifactor authentication (MFA), which provides an added layer of security. Google SSO offers Google Authenticator and security keys and emails as free MFA options. Okta, however, provides a broader range of MFA methods, including SMS, email, biometrics, and Okta Verify. Most companies that are not developing bioweapons or that are not regulated like finance and healthcare are in no need of those high-level security measures for MFA. MFA with security keys and emails is typically more than enough to prevent most security risks.
Google SSO boosts security by eliminating the need for multiple passwords and minimizing the risk of weak or reused passwords. The additional MFA support further strengthens protection against unauthorized access. While Okta’s MFA options are more advanced, Google SSO’s free MFA makes it a compelling choice for businesses on a budget. There is also an option for admins to regularly force end users to update their passwords and enforce a certain security of each password (length, special characters, forbidding Test1234).
Access management is where Okta pulls ahead of Google SSO. Okta offers role-based access control (RBAC), which allows organizations to assign specific roles to users, streamlining permissions management. This is the key value proposition of Corma and is why would be many times the price of the Google Workspace to Okta. For example, you could grant a sales manager “read” and “edit” rights while restricting “create” permissions to your CRM tool, while giving your sales manager lead full access. Defining role-based access rules takes time but is usually worth the effort.
Google SSO, however, relies on Google Workspace user groups for access control. While this method works well for smaller teams, it’s less scalable and more difficult to manage for larger organizations with complex access needs. The opportunities from Google are limited here and things are at risk of becoming messy with several hundred employees.
Fortunately, when pairing Google SSO with Corma, access management becomes easier. RBAC can be configurated and integrations with HR tools provide data on new joiners and leavers for. Employees can request access to applications directly within Slack or via a browser extension, and Corma automates the approval process. This functionality is similar to what Okta Identity Governance offers which ensures a high level of security, smooth IT management but at a fraction of the cost.
Despite what you might expect of this article, not everything is smile and sunshine with Google SSO. Google SSO’s primary limitation is the lack of scalable role-based access controls. This can make managing permissions more complex as your organization grows. However, integrating Corma with Google SSO can help solve this by automating access requests and approvals, making it a viable alternative for SMBs.
One of the biggest challenges with Google SSO is its limited support for SCIM provisioning. This means that if your business uses several third-party applications, you’ll likely need to manually onboard and offboard users, which can become time-consuming as your business expands. Automated user provisioning is the dream of most IT teams so this can be seen as a major barrier. This is unfortunately the reality for many companies that heavily rely on SaaS. Manual provisioning is next to the risk of Shadow IT and cost explosion a key downside of the trend towards Software as a Service.
Okta, in contrast, supports SCIM provisioning for a wide range of applications, allowing for automated user creation and deactivation. However, many SaaS providers only offer SCIM and SAML features on their enterprise plans, often leading to significant cost increases—this is known as the SSO tax. This can go into the thousands of euros every month that need to be paid on top! It might unlock other additional features which might be useful but the cost increase is typically massive.
By using Corma alongside Google SSO, you can handle automated user provisioning and deprovisioning for over 100 tools—including Slack, Notion, and Google Workspace—without relying on SCIM. This makes it a more cost-effective alternative to Okta for smaller organizations.
The hidden cost of using Okta often comes from the so-called SSO tax imposed by SaaS providers. SCIM Provisioning is typically hidden in the enterprise or premium pricing tiers. Businesses are forced to upgrade to expensive enterprise subscriptions to unlock the SCIM provisioning. Combined with Okta’s own per-user pricing structure (2€ per user!), these costs can add up quickly, making it a less affordable option for startups and cost-sensitive SMBs.
Google SSO offers an audit trail for Google’s suite of apps, but when it comes to monitoring third-party applications, it falls short. This can pose challenges for organizations that need to track user activity for compliance purposes. But even inside Google, the logs are sometimes annoying to find and the interface is not very user-friendly which can be a pain for IT mangers and CISOs.
Okta, on the other hand, provides more comprehensive monitoring and reporting features across all integrated applications. However, Okta’s logs are retained for only 90 days, meaning you’ll need additional tools to store activity logs for longer periods.
Using Corma with Google SSO can help fill this gap. Corma centralizes monitoring across all connected apps, providing a clear overview of user access and permissions. This can be crucial for businesses that need to generate detailed access reports for compliance audits. ISO 27001 for instance is a key information security certification that requires businesses to to have logs on all access and users. This certification advances to be the gold standard in Europe, so simplifying the achievement of ISO 27001 though access management is more than a nice to have.
While Google SSO’s audit capabilities are strong for native Google apps, it lacks the necessary tools for external applications. Pairing Google SSO with Corma helps businesses improve their reporting and monitoring, allowing them to meet compliance requirements more easily. The full visibility on software usage is also useful for other use cases like cost management of the software stack.
When it comes to Okta and Google SSO, the best choice for your business depends on your needs and budget. You should also try to anticipate how your organisation develops. Will your structure stay more or less steady or are you expecting an increase in user or new divisions?
Okta offers a full-featured identity management solution with powerful tools for access control, provisioning, and compliance reporting. However, it comes with considerable costs—both in terms of upfront subscription fees and hidden charges related to SaaS integration. It will also require an IT team, but at least a dedicated IT Manager to operate it.
For smaller businesses, Google SSO is a simple and free solution that can be enhanced by integrating with Corma. This combination offers the benefits of Google’s no-hassle SSO, while Corma takes care of more advanced tasks like automated user provisioning, deprovisioning, and access management. This approach allows you to get many of the same advantages as Okta, but without the heavy financial burden and setup complexity. It is also a solution that is to drive automation forward so the manual input is to be minimsed next to functionalities around the software expense management.
If your organization has the budget and IT resources, Okta may be the right choice for managing identity and access at scale. However, for startups and SMBs looking for a cost-effective solution, pairing Google SSO with Corma can provide most of the same benefits at a fraction of the cost.
Experience the benefits of digital transformation. Cut you software spend by 30% through managing the contract lifecycle of your SaaS, secure your business through automated provisioning in identity and access management, all while boosting software stack with our vendor management system.
.png)
