Okta For Good Unveils New Initiatives Ahead Of Oktane22 Event

Okta is hosting Oktane22 in San Francisco next week. The event—which will feature keynote presentations from Serena Williams and “Magic” Johnson—celebrates the 10^th anniversary of Okta and will focus on identity and the value of an Identity First strategy. Another thing that will be on display at Oktane22 is Okta’s commitment to doing what’s right and giving back to the cybersecurity community and making the world in general a better place with the Okta for Good Fund.

Earlier this year, Okta committed $1 million out of the Okta for Good Fund toward The Nonprofit Cybersecurity Portfolio. This week, Okta is announcing two initiatives ahead of Oktane22—a grant focused on cybersecurity workforce development, and a better use of the funds that would generally go toward event swag.

I had a chance to speak with Erin Baudo Felter, VP of Social Impact and Sustainability (how cool is that title?) about the upcoming Okta For Good efforts. She explained that Okta For Good is providing a $100,000 two-year grant to an organization called CodePath, and how it is sort of an extension of the Nonprofit Cybersecurity Portfolio effort and the focus on cybersecurity for nonprofit organizations and the social sector.

CodePath

“That’s important work,” stated Baudo Felter. She told me that Okta wants to look at ways to address the cybersecurity talent shortage—and the scarcity of diverse, untapped talent making its way into these roles.

“CodePath is a great organization that is trying to eliminate the inequities in tech education. They work with colleges to provide curriculum that’s informed and built by industry practitioners,” explained Baudo Felter. “So, they take it out of theory, and very much into practice within the learning in the classroom—but then also lots of touch points to companies throughout the coursework and education process.”

About three quarters of the students involved with CodePath are from communities of untapped talent—low income, first-generation immigrant, and others—that companies are very eager to hire. CodePath provides mentorship, employers coming in to advise on curriculum and help to teach the classes, and internships coming out of these programs.

No Swag

If you’ve ever been to an industry conference or event—especially a cybersecurity event—then you know that swag is generally a big part of it. Vendors give away tshirts, pens, tote bags, branded foam stress balls or USB thumb drives, and more. There is a ton of money invested in creating branded knick-knacks to give away to attendees.

The thing is, the attendees rarely really need any of the stuff. A lot it ends up in the trash—and even the stuff that doesn’t go to a landfill was still often unnecessary or extravagant. In recent years while attending events I have been giving my swag away to homeless people in the community—at least swag that seems like it would have some value or utility—like tshirts or hoodies.

That is why Okta has made a habit of foregoing the swag and putting the money to better use by donating to an organization in the local community. In lieu of swag for Oktane22, Okta For Good is donating $75,000 to an organization called Community Tech Network.

Erin shared that the mission of the organization is to bridge the digital divide. “They work in San Francisco and other communities as well and they’re really focused on helping bring digital access and digital literacy to communities.”

Doing Right and Giving Back

Lots of companies make gestures or pay lip service to philanthropy and community efforts, but it is largely a marketing effort. It is not something the company really believes in and it doesn’t reflect the organization’s core values.

A few, though—like Okta—understand the greater good. Erin and I spoke about the importance of giving back—and how it creates a win-win-win scenario. While investments like this may seem frivolous at face value—or like they don’t contribute to the bottom line, the simple fact is that companies don’t exist in a vacuum. Things that make the world a better place and improve local communities also benefit the companies that exist in that world and those communities. These efforts also increase employee satisfaction and retention—because people like to be part of something that reflects their own values and that they can be proud of. The third win is that these initiatives do actually contribute to the bottom line eventually. When an organization does the right thing, and builds a reputation as a brand with values and integrity, it attracts customers.

Okta For Good has donated more than $25 million in cash, tech, and services to nonprofit organizations around the world. That figure is comprised of $15 million in donated products and services, and more than $11 million in cash. Through these efforts, Okta has supported more than 5,500 nonprofits, and more than 80% of Okta employees have participated—contributing and volunteering over the past three years.

Okta has established itself as a leader in the identity security space, and I am sure they will have tons of insights and product announcements to share at Oktane22 next week as it relates to having an Identity First approach. One of the things that really separates Okta from the pack, though, is the commitment to do what’s right and give back.