Show Notes
When you ask Ron Piovesan, Head of Technology Partnerships at Okta, what makes a great partner motion, he doesn’t hesitate: “Partnership has to be about outsized value. It can’t be incremental value.” That single line captures much of what has made Okta’s ecosystem thrive. From 7,000 Integrations to Strategic Alliances Okta’s ecosystem spans more than 7,000 technology integrations. But as Ron explains from Okta’s downtown San Francisco headquarters, his focus isn’t breadth – it’s depth. “Ten years ago, nobody called me back,” he laughs. “Now, the world has caught up – identity is at the center of every partnership conversation.” What began as a small integration team before Okta’s IPO has evolved into a sophisticated alliance engine. Ron and his team look for ISVs and cloud providers willing to go beyond API connections – those ready to co-innovate, co-market, and ultimately co-sell. The Customer as Your Best Ally Asked how he decides which partners to invest in, Ron doesn’t talk first about technology or contracts – he talks about customers. “Your biggest ally is always the customer. If customers are saying ‘Okta plus this ISV is a great story,’ we listen. That’s what drives investment.” It’s a simple truth easily overlooked: the best partnerships are market-pulled, not vendor-pushed. And it extends inside Okta as well. His favorite voices? Sales engineers. “They sit at the intersection of sales and technology. When they see something working in the field, I listen more than to anyone else.” A New Partnership: Okta × Google × Omnissa Today Okta announced a new tri-party partnership with Google and Omnissa (the new VMware spinoff). The “Work Transformation Set” combines Google Workspace productivity, Okta identity security, and Omnissa device management – all sold as one simplified solution through Google Marketplace. “What we heard from customers was clear,” Ron said. “They want best of breed tools – but they don’t want three vendors to deal with. So we’re giving them one place, one price, one procurable package.” It’s a perfect example of his co-innovation plus co-sell philosophy. Technology integration matters, but so does innovation in go-to-market – making it easier for customers to buy what they need when they need it. Marketplaces and Ease of Procurement Ron points out that enterprise buyers now expect the same experience as consumers – simple, instant, transparent purchasing. “Everyone’s been spoiled by Amazon and app stores. That demand for ease of procurement is moving into the enterprise. The best software in the world shouldn’t be hard to buy.” He sees marketplaces, enterprise license agreements, and commit-drawdown models as all part of the same trend: helping customers achieve their goals without friction. Co-Sell as a Pull, Not a Push In his view, great co-sell motions don’t need constant management. “When you provide outsized value to the customer, sales teams lean in naturally. They’re pulling you in, not being pushed to ‘call your partner.’” He wants salespeople to see partner motions as the easiest path to win the deal faster – and that starts with customer value they can clearly articulate together. The Teacher Mindset Outside Okta, Ron teaches marketing and communications at USC and has taught at Stanford and Santa Clara University. Teaching, he says, is in his DNA. Both parents were teachers, and his earlier career in PR instilled a love of clear communication – a skill he sees as essential to partnering. He encourages students to see partners as a marketing channel: “Do your social media and your press releases, but make sure your partners are telling the same story.” He also brings a unique window into how young professionals view the world. Trust, he says, is the currency that’s hardest to earn and easiest to lose – and younger generations are more skeptical than ever. “The next generation of leaders will be super resilient and adaptable, but you have to earn their trust.” The Future of Partnering From
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