In August of 2023, Okta announced that they would stop offering out-of-the-box telephony services (SMS, voice) for new customers. Starting September 15, 2024, at time of renewal, Okta will require all renewing customers who want to continue using SMS and voice messages for authentication to bring their own telephony provider. The provider must be configured by the customer ahead of the time of their first post-September 15, 2024 renewal using Okta’s telephony inline hook or risk disruptions in their service.
This change will affect Okta customers who want to continue to use SMS and voice messages for sending one-time passcodes (OTPs) for a range of use cases, including:
- Requiring multifactor authentication (MFA) at sign-in
- Enrolling a new device
- Authorizing a password reset
- Unlocking an existing account
How Telesign helps you migrate with ease
Telesign, one of Okta’s telco partners, enables easy integration for existing Okta customers who want to continue using SMS and voice messages for authentication. Our prebuilt, no-code solution is managed by Telesign, so there is no coding, development, or IT infrastructure required – making it ideal for companies looking for an easy, fast implementation with minimal steps.
How the Telesign no-code inline hook works
- The user attempts to sign in to Okta. The Okta org has an authentication requirement of a phone authenticator. The user selects “Receive a code via SMS” or “Receive a voice call” instead.
- Okta generates a one-time passcode (OTP) and verifies if a telephony hook is configured and active for the org. This OTP is valid for five minutes.
- A telephony inline hook is triggered and sends a request to Telesign to deliver the OTP.
- The Telesign Okta telephony inline hook service evaluates the request. If the request headers are valid, the OTP is sent to the user’s phone via SMS or through a voice call.
- Okta receives a response that indicates if the OTP was sent successfully.
Why choose Telesign as your telco provider?
With a 12-year legacy of providing reliable and secure MFA solutions, Telesign is an easy choice for Okta customers when deciding on a telephony provider.
Benefits of Telesign SMS and voice include:
- Global reach to over 230 countries and territories
- Industry-leading reliability and completion rates for authentication
- Dedicated support to resolve issues in a timely manner
By leveraging Telesign’s omnichannel APIs, you can future-proof your MFA experience and security with our comprehensive suite of verification and digital identity solutions, including channels like RCS, WhatsApp, Viber, and Email.
Get started
Use our guide to bring your own telephony to Okta with Telesign’s no-code solution.
Prefer to deploy your own code? Access our guide for writing your own code for your Telesign inline hook.
