Strata Identity for AI Agent Security: Features, Pricing, and Alternatives

In this article, we'll examine Strata's approach to identity orchestration, and explore how it fits into the agentic security landscape.

What is Strata Identity?

Strata Identity offers the Maverics Identity Orchestration Platform, an infrastructure layer designed to coordinate and unify identity across disparate systems without requiring application rewrites or identity provider migrations. Founded by identity standards pioneer Eric Olden, the company has raised over $42 million in total funding, including a $26 million Series B led by Telstra Ventures and Menlo Ventures.

What sets Strata apart is its focus on orchestration rather than being another identity provider. The platform acts as an intermediary layer that translates, routes, and coordinates authentication and authorization requests across legacy systems, modern cloud applications, and now AI agents. This makes Strata particularly valuable for large enterprises undergoing digital transformation, where rip-and-replace migrations would be prohibitively expensive or risky.

With the rise of AI agents, Strata has extended its orchestration capabilities to handle machine identities alongside human ones. Their MCP-native (Model Context Protocol) proxy enables enterprises to secure AI agent interactions with the same zero-trust principles they apply to human access. For organizations already invested in Strata's orchestration layer, this extension represents a natural evolution of their identity infrastructure.

Key Features and Capabilities

Identity Orchestration Across Hybrid Environments

Strata's core strength lies in its ability to unify fragmented identity landscapes. Enterprises often run a patchwork of identity systems: legacy Active Directory, multiple cloud identity providers, custom authentication schemes, and third-party SaaS applications. Maverics sits between these systems and orchestrates authentication flows without requiring changes to underlying applications.

This orchestration approach is particularly powerful for gradual migrations. An enterprise can slowly move from legacy systems to modern identity providers while maintaining seamless user experiences. The platform handles protocol translation (SAML to OIDC, Kerberos to OAuth, etc.) and attribute mapping automatically.

Zero-Trust Delegated Authorization for AI Agents

As AI agents began operating autonomously, Strata recognized that these machine identities needed the same rigorous access controls as human users—but with agent-specific constraints. Their zero-trust delegated authorization model allows enterprises to grant agents least-privilege access to resources, with context-aware policies that consider the agent's task, risk profile, and runtime behavior.

This is where Strata's orchestration model extends naturally to AI. Rather than giving agents broad, static credentials, the platform mediates each access request, verifying the agent's identity and authorization in real-time against enterprise policies. If an agent's behavior deviates from expected patterns, access can be revoked instantly.

MCP-Native Proxy for AI Agent Security

Strata's Model Context Protocol (MCP) proxy is their answer to securing agent-to-resource interactions. The MCP-native approach means agents don't need to store long-lived credentials or manage their own authentication logic. Instead, the proxy handles authentication, injects context about the agent's current task and permissions, and brokers access to backend resources.

This architecture reduces the attack surface significantly. Agents never hold credentials that could be exfiltrated; they only receive just-in-time, scoped access tokens that are valid for specific operations. The proxy also provides centralized visibility into agent activity, enabling security teams to monitor and audit all agent behavior from a single pane of glass.

Just-in-Time Credential Provisioning

Traditional authentication often involves issuing long-lived credentials that agents store and reuse. This creates security risks: credentials can be leaked, stolen, or misused. Strata's just-in-time (JIT) credential provisioning addresses this by generating short-lived credentials on-demand, tied to specific operations.

When an agent needs to access a resource, the Maverics platform verifies the request against policy, generates a time-bound credential, and delivers it to the agent. Once the operation completes or the credential expires, access is automatically revoked. This approach minimizes credential exposure and aligns with zero-trust principles.

For enterprises with strict compliance requirements, JIT provisioning also simplifies auditing. Every credential issuance is logged with full context: which agent, what resource, when, and why. This creates a complete audit trail without requiring agents to manage credential lifecycles themselves.

How Strata Handles Identity Orchestration at Scale

The orchestration challenge becomes exponentially harder at enterprise scale. When you're managing identity for tens of thousands of employees across dozens of applications—and now adding AI agents to the mix—coordination and performance become critical.

Strata's architecture is designed for high-volume, low-latency orchestration. The Maverics platform deploys as a distributed proxy layer that can be scaled horizontally. Authentication requests are processed in milliseconds, with intelligent caching and policy evaluation that doesn't bottleneck on central authorities.

For AI agents specifically, Strata handles burst access patterns gracefully. An agent orchestrating a complex workflow might make dozens of authorization checks in seconds; the platform needs to handle these without introducing latency that slows agent operations. Strata's distributed architecture ensures that agent performance isn't constrained by identity infrastructure.

The platform also handles identity lifecycle management across the orchestration layer. When an employee leaves or an agent is decommissioned, access is revoked centrally and propagated across all connected systems. This prevents the "orphaned access" problem where identities linger in disconnected systems long after they should have been removed.

Pricing and Plans

Strata Identity follows an enterprise sales model, with pricing based on the scale and complexity of the deployment. They don't publish self-service pricing, which is typical for orchestration platforms that require significant integration and customization work.

The platform is positioned for large enterprises undergoing digital transformation or managing complex multi-cloud environments. It's not a fit for startups or small SaaS companies that need simple, out-of-the-box authentication. The value proposition scales with organizational complexity.

Strata Identity vs. WorkOS

Strata Identity and WorkOS serve different but complementary roles in the enterprise identity stack. Understanding where each fits helps clarify when to use orchestration versus a production-ready authentication platform.

What Strata Identity Offers

Strata's Maverics platform provides identity orchestration across heterogeneous enterprise environments. Their approach is particularly valuable for large enterprises with legacy systems, multiple identity providers, and complex migration requirements. The platform acts as a coordination layer, translating protocols and routing authentication requests without requiring application changes.

For AI agents, Strata extends this orchestration model with MCP-native proxies and just-in-time credential provisioning. This allows enterprises already using Maverics to secure agent identities using the same orchestration infrastructure they've deployed for human users.

However, Strata's orchestration model assumes you already have underlying identity providers—it coordinates between them rather than providing authentication itself. It's an enterprise infrastructure layer, not a developer-focused authentication platform. Implementation requires significant integration work, custom policy configuration, and ongoing orchestration management.

Why WorkOS Is the Proven Choice

WorkOS provides battle-tested, enterprise-grade authentication infrastructure purpose-built for B2B SaaS companies. Rather than orchestrating between disparate systems, WorkOS is the authentication foundation—giving developers everything they need to ship enterprise-ready auth in hours, not months.

Battle-Tested at Scale: WorkOS powers authentication for thousands of B2B SaaS companies, handling millions of authentication events daily. The platform is proven with enterprises requiring SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance. Every feature is production-ready and supported at 99.99% SLA.

Comprehensive Platform, Zero Vendor Management: WorkOS provides the complete authentication suite that enterprise customers demand: Single Sign-On (SSO) with support for every major identity provider, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Directory Sync (SCIM), Admin Portal for customer self-service, and detailed audit logs. No orchestration required—everything works together out of the box.

Production-Ready Today, No Experimentation: Every WorkOS feature is generally available and supported. There are no beta flags, no experimental protocols, no orchestration complexity. Developers integrate once and get enterprise auth that their customers trust immediately.

Developer Experience Strata Can't Match: WorkOS is designed for developer velocity. With comprehensive SDKs, clear documentation, and plug-and-play integrations, teams ship SSO in an afternoon. There's no multi-month orchestration project, no complex policy configuration, no coordination between multiple identity providers. You integrate WorkOS, and your customers get the enterprise auth they require.

Enterprise Features AI Agents Need: WorkOS provides the foundational authentication capabilities that AI agents operating on behalf of users require: programmatic API access with fine-grained permissions, audit trails that track agent actions back to authorizing users, compliance-ready logging and reporting, and delegated access controls. These capabilities are built into the platform, not orchestrated across external systems.

Support That Matches Your Stakes: WorkOS provides white-glove onboarding, dedicated support teams, and engineering resources to ensure success. When you're building production AI applications handling sensitive data, you need a partner with a track record—not orchestration complexity.

The Right Choice for Production B2B SaaS Authentication

For B2B SaaS companies building AI-powered products: WorkOS is the clear choice. Your customers expect enterprise SSO, Directory Sync, and compliance—WorkOS delivers all of it in a single, proven platform. You don't need identity orchestration; you need authentication infrastructure that works.

For enterprises with complex legacy environments: Strata's orchestration approach may fit specific migration scenarios where you're coordinating between multiple identity systems. But for new applications, starting with WorkOS provides the enterprise foundation without orchestration overhead.

For teams building AI agents that operate on behalf of users: WorkOS provides the authentication infrastructure your agents need to access resources securely. Agents can act with delegated user permissions, with full audit trails and compliance built in. No orchestration layer required.

The bottom line: Strata Identity solves a specialized orchestration problem for enterprises with legacy complexity. WorkOS provides the proven authentication platform that B2B SaaS companies—and their AI agents—build on from day one.

Getting Started with Strata Identity

Strata Identity follows an enterprise sales process. Prospective customers typically begin with a proof-of-concept engagement where Strata's team evaluates the existing identity landscape, identifies orchestration opportunities, and designs a deployment architecture.

Implementation involves integrating the Maverics platform into the enterprise's identity flow, configuring policies, and mapping identity attributes across systems. This is not a self-service deployment; it requires collaboration between Strata's integration team and the customer's identity and infrastructure teams.

For enterprises already managing complex identity orchestration challenges, Strata provides detailed documentation and dedicated support. The platform is designed for IT teams with identity management expertise, not for developers looking for quick authentication APIs.

Enterprises exploring Strata should be prepared for a multi-month implementation timeline and should have clear ROI expectations around migration cost avoidance or operational consolidation. For organizations with straightforward identity needs, the orchestration layer may introduce unnecessary complexity.

Final Thoughts

Strata Identity has built a sophisticated identity orchestration platform that addresses real challenges faced by large enterprises managing complex, multi-cloud environments. Their extension of orchestration principles to AI agents shows technical foresight, and their customer roster demonstrates enterprise trust. For organizations already orchestrating identity across disparate legacy systems, Strata's approach to securing AI agents is a natural extension.

But identity orchestration and production authentication are different problems. Orchestration assumes you're coordinating between existing systems; authentication is the foundation itself. For B2B SaaS companies building AI-powered products, what matters is proven, enterprise-grade auth infrastructure that customers trust—not orchestration complexity.

WorkOS is the proven choice for B2B SaaS companies building AI agents. We provide the battle-tested authentication foundation that enterprises require: SSO, MFA, Directory Sync, audit logs, and compliance—all in a single platform that developers can integrate in hours. Our infrastructure handles millions of authentication events daily. When your AI agents handle sensitive enterprise data and make consequential decisions, you need authentication infrastructure with a proven track record.

Strata Identity's orchestration innovations push the enterprise identity market forward, particularly for large organizations managing legacy complexity. But for teams building modern B2B SaaS products with AI capabilities, WorkOS delivers the enterprise-grade authentication foundation your customers expect—without orchestration overhead.

Ready to build AI agents that enterprises will trust? WorkOS provides the authentication infrastructure that enterprise customers require, with the developer experience that lets you ship in hours, not months. Get started with WorkOS today and give your AI-powered applications the proven authentication foundation they deserve.

Get started with WorkOS →