NewCore vs Okta for AI agent security and identity

SHORT ANSWER

On our weights for AI agent security and identity, Okta scores 7.8 / 10 and NewCore 7.5 / 10. NewCore scores higher on no standing credentials for agents; per-call authorization; and human accountability and approval; Okta scores higher on finding agents you did not register; standards and ecosystem; and maturity and buying clarity.

Editorial assessment · Desk research from public vendor material · Reviewed 2026-09-29

HOW TO READ THIS PAIR

NewCore describes an agent-driven coexistence model that "preserves existing federations and policies", which positions it to run alongside Okta or Microsoft Entra ID rather than replace them. This page scores the two products side by side on the same criteria; it does not assume one replaces the other.

Source: NewCore launch release (PR Newswire)

Scores by criterion

Scores for NewCore and Okta in AI agent security and identity, out of 10
Criterion	NewCore	Okta	Higher score
C1No standing credentials for agents20%	9 Agent Guardian issues "scoped, short-lived credentials on demand" and states the agent never holds the provider's standing credential. Source: NewCore: Agent Guardian	8 Okta for AI Agents issues "dynamic, least-privilege tokens" in place of static API keys; Agent SSO with short-lived tokens was listed as generally available in September 2026. Source: Okta: Secure AI · Okta newsroom, 22 Sep 2026	NewCore
C2Per-call authorization20%	9 Each call is evaluated "at the operation level" against policy. Source: NewCore: Agent Guardian	7 Okta says it enforces policy "at every tool call"; its Agent Gateway was announced on 22 September 2026 as planned for Q3 2026 (https://www.okta.com/newsroom/press-releases/ai-innovations-oktane-2026/). Source: Okta: Secure AI · Okta newsroom, 22 Sep 2026	NewCore
C3Human accountability and approval15%	9 Calls can be routed for human approval by policy, and every action is tied to the agent, the accountable human or team, and the policy. Source: NewCore: Agent Guardian	7Gap in public material Treats the agent as a principal with delegation from the user and streams access decisions to a SIEM. A human approval step is not described on the page reviewed. Source: Okta: Secure AI	NewCore
C4Finding agents you did not register15%	7 Identity Discovery lists AI agents in the same graph as people and apps; sources named are Okta, AWS, Microsoft, BambooHR, Salesforce and Google. Source: NewCore: Identity Discovery	8 Surfaces unsanctioned agents and registers them in a central directory. Source: Okta: Secure AI	Okta
C5Standards and ecosystem15%	6 Two access paths are published, an MCP gateway and an OAuth-based Enterprise Managed Authorization flow. No integration count or named agent list is published. Source: NewCore: Agent Guardian	9 Publishes the Cross App Access protocol and an integration network of 8,000+ pre-built integrations. Source: Okta: Secure AI · Okta Integration Network	Okta
C6Maturity and buying clarity15%	4 Launched in June 2026. No pricing and no named customers are published. Source: NewCore home page · NewCore launch release (PR Newswire)	8Gap in public material Okta for AI Agents is sold as an add-on to published Workforce Identity plans; the add-on price itself is not published. Source: Okta pricing	Okta
Weighted total	7.5 / 10	7.8 / 10	Okta

C1No standing credentials for agents20%

9

Agent Guardian issues "scoped, short-lived credentials on demand" and states the agent never holds the provider's standing credential.

Source: NewCore: Agent Guardian

8

Okta for AI Agents issues "dynamic, least-privilege tokens" in place of static API keys; Agent SSO with short-lived tokens was listed as generally available in September 2026.

Source: Okta: Secure AI · Okta newsroom, 22 Sep 2026

Higher score: NewCore

C2Per-call authorization20%

9

Each call is evaluated "at the operation level" against policy.

Source: NewCore: Agent Guardian

7

Okta says it enforces policy "at every tool call"; its Agent Gateway was announced on 22 September 2026 as planned for Q3 2026 (https://www.okta.com/newsroom/press-releases/ai-innovations-oktane-2026/).

Source: Okta: Secure AI · Okta newsroom, 22 Sep 2026

Higher score: NewCore

C3Human accountability and approval15%

9

Calls can be routed for human approval by policy, and every action is tied to the agent, the accountable human or team, and the policy.

Source: NewCore: Agent Guardian

7Gap in public material

Treats the agent as a principal with delegation from the user and streams access decisions to a SIEM. A human approval step is not described on the page reviewed.

Source: Okta: Secure AI

Higher score: NewCore

C4Finding agents you did not register15%

7

Identity Discovery lists AI agents in the same graph as people and apps; sources named are Okta, AWS, Microsoft, BambooHR, Salesforce and Google.

Source: NewCore: Identity Discovery

8

Surfaces unsanctioned agents and registers them in a central directory.

Source: Okta: Secure AI

Higher score: Okta

C5Standards and ecosystem15%

6

Two access paths are published, an MCP gateway and an OAuth-based Enterprise Managed Authorization flow. No integration count or named agent list is published.

Source: NewCore: Agent Guardian

9

Publishes the Cross App Access protocol and an integration network of 8,000+ pre-built integrations.

Source: Okta: Secure AI · Okta Integration Network

Higher score: Okta

C6Maturity and buying clarity15%

4

Launched in June 2026. No pricing and no named customers are published.

Source: NewCore home page · NewCore launch release (PR Newswire)

8Gap in public material

Okta for AI Agents is sold as an add-on to published Workforce Identity plans; the add-on price itself is not published.

Source: Okta pricing

Higher score: Okta

Weighted total

NewCore 7.5 / 10 · Okta 7.8 / 10

Higher score: Okta

Where each one scores higher

NewCore scores higher on

no standing credentials for agents (9 vs 8)
per-call authorization (9 vs 7)
human accountability and approval (9 vs 7)

Okta scores higher on

finding agents you did not register (7 vs 8)
standards and ecosystem (6 vs 9)
maturity and buying clarity (4 vs 8)

Pricing, side by side

NewCore

Not published, contact sales.

Source: NewCore home page

As published on 2026-09-29.

Okta

Okta for AI Agents is an add-on to Workforce Identity plans. Add-on price not published, contact sales.

Source: Okta pricing

As published on 2026-09-29.

Which should you choose?

Consider adding NewCore if no standing credentials for agents and per-call authorization matter most. It scores 9 and 9 on them. Agent Guardian issues "scoped, short-lived credentials on demand" and states the agent never holds the provider's standing credential.

Stay with Okta if standards and ecosystem and no standing credentials for agents matter most. It scores 9 and 8 on them. Publishes the Cross App Access protocol and an integration network of 8,000+ pre-built integrations.

Questions

Which scores higher overall, NewCore or Okta?

On our weights for AI agent security and identity, Okta scores 7.8 / 10 and NewCore 7.5 / 10. Totals are the weighted average of six criterion scores; the weights are listed on the AI agent security and identity page.

Where does NewCore score higher than Okta?

On no standing credentials for agents; per-call authorization; and human accountability and approval.

Where does Okta score higher than NewCore?

On finding agents you did not register; standards and ecosystem; and maturity and buying clarity.

Related

Sources

NewCore: Agent Guardian: https://newcore.com/platform/agent-guardian
NewCore: Identity Discovery: https://newcore.com/platform/identity-discovery
NewCore home page: https://newcore.com/
NewCore launch release (PR Newswire): https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/newcore-emerges-from-stealth-with-66m-to-rebuild-workforce-identity-for-the-agentic-era-302799643.html
Okta: Secure AI: https://www.okta.com/solutions/secure-ai/
Okta newsroom, 22 Sep 2026: https://www.okta.com/newsroom/press-releases/ai-innovations-oktane-2026/
Okta Integration Network: https://www.okta.com/integrations/
Okta pricing: https://www.okta.com/pricing/