Executive summary
In this Dark Rhiino Security (DRS) case study, discover how a trusted managed security service provider (MSSP) is delivering revenue resilience to their clients using Okta via ZeroTek as the identity and access management (IAM) cornerstone.
Dark Rhiino Security (DRS) frames cybersecurity as a revenue continuity problem: identify the systems that keep cash moving, then protect them. Okta is the identity foundation of that model, securing access to critical systems, strengthening MFA posture, and supporting compliance readiness. ZeroTek enables DRS to deliver and manage Okta across clients at scale, so their team stays focused on high-skill security work rather than admin overhead.
“The biggest risk is always to operational viability. That’s why we start the conversation with revenue.”
– Rory Meikle, Director of Sales, DRS
Identity protection is the foundation
ZeroTek helps managed security service providers (MSSPs) like DRS deliver Okta’s enterprise-grade identity at scale. Through a multi-tenant platform built for service providers, ZeroTek makes it easy to deploy, manage, and govern Okta across many client environments from a single dashboard.
DRS operates in a different but closely connected reality: organizations facing real external pressure to strengthen cybersecurity—driven by compliance mandates, cyber insurance requirements, third-party risk expectations, and increasing regulatory scrutiny.
For these organizations, identity is no longer a standalone IT function. It is the foundation for securing access to the systems that keep the business running.
By combining DRS’s deep expertise in Okta architecture, migrations, and identity-first security strategy with ZeroTek’s ability to operationalize Okta delivery across clients, the partnership enables faster rollouts, stronger controls, and scalable managed identity programs that protect the bottom line.
Revenue resiliency: cybersecurity framed as business continuity
For DRS, the most important question isn’t “What tools do you have?” It’s: If you get breached, can you still operate and generate revenue?
“A strong security solution demands a thorough assessment of the specific risks each client is facing,” explains Rory Meikle, Director of Sales at DRS. “And the biggest risk is always to operational viability. That’s why we start the conversation with revenue: how the customer moves cash from where it comes in to where it goes out. Then we deliver solutions that protect the assets that make those transactions possible.”
That starts with understanding how the organization runs in the day-to-day:
- How revenue flows, from transaction to fulfillment to billing
- Which systems facilitate those transactions
- Which assets represent the “cash register” for the business
- What failure would look like: downtime, inability to bill, loss of access to critical work product
In practice, revenue-generating assets vary by industry. DRS may prioritize OT/SCADA systems in critical infrastructure for a natural resource company. For a professional services firm in law or finance, the priority may be the platforms where deliverables are created and stored.
But the operating principle stays consistent: protect what keeps revenue moving.
Identity-first security: Okta as the foundation
DRS prioritizes identity early because identity compromise is one of the most common—and most costly—paths to business disruption. Okta becomes the control plane for securing access to revenue-critical systems. “Getting Okta in front of email and mission-critical apps is always a top priority,” says Rory Meikle. “It’s one of the first tools we deploy to get strong protection in place for digital identities and access to systems.”
For DRS, Okta stands out for both security depth and operational simplicity. “Okta’s my first choice for IAM,” concurs Chris Cazel, Consultant at DRS. “The app integrations are so much easier than in other platforms, and the policy engine is really solid and logical.”
DRS says the technology is usually the easy part. The real work is the rollout: planning the cutover, communicating changes, and ensuring identity policies match how the business operates. ZeroTek removes the operational friction around Okta—tenant setup, licensing, and multi-tenant administration—so DRS can stay focused on high impact work: guiding adoption and getting controls in place cleanly.
“Getting Okta in front of email and mission-critical apps is always a top priority.”
– Rory Meikle, Director of Sales, DRS
Security and simplicity: why DRS prefers Okta
DRS has deep experience operating in environments where Microsoft Entra is already in place. For many organizations—especially those already invested in Microsoft licensing—Entra can appear comparable on paper.
But in practice, DRS often recommends Okta because it is purpose-built for identity. Okta offers a simpler, more transparent policy and administrative experience—an advantage in security work where clarity, speed, and auditability matter.
“Data is obfuscated in Entra,” explains Chris, “The interface is constantly changing, and if you want a clear picture of what happened, you’re often pulling logs from multiple places and cross-referencing them. That’s just less secure—because even the most experienced technicians are slowed down by the UI.”
“Okta, on the other hand, is purpose-built for IAM. It’s their sole focus, so it’s really robust and intuitive. Okta’s logs are real-time, and ZeroTek enhances them for MSPs with additional data and capabilities, so you get that clear picture of an incident or attempted breach right away. It’s so much faster, and when there’s a problem, every second counts.”
When customer preferences or budgets require Entra to remain part of the architecture, DRS works with that reality. The team has deep experience designing hybrid models where Entra remains the source of truth and Okta acts as the identity layer for app access and policy enforcement—and they’re ready to make the switch to Okta whenever the client is ready.
“We’re in ZeroTek multiple times a day, every day, managing clients on Okta. ZeroTek means I can just pivot securely from client to client, every action tracked and auditable.”
– Chris Cazel, Consultant, DRS
How DRS delivers Okta through ZeroTek
When they found ZeroTek, DRS had been deploying Okta for years. What ZeroTek changed was the ability to deliver Okta as a true managed service that is easy to scale and operate day-to-day.
Faster onboarding and operational efficiency
DRS teams are in customer identity environments daily. ZeroTek helps them attend to client needs more efficiently by simplifying multi-tenant operations and reducing administrative overhead for clients on Okta—so DRS can focus on security outcomes instead of repetitive account logistics.
For DRS, ZeroTek’s value is in:
- Rapid onboarding and provisioning workflows, allowing engineers to spin up a new Okta org in seconds and reduce hours of configuration work to minutes.
- Rapid tenant-to-tenant switching capabilities, eliminating the need to manage and secure multiple admin accounts across customers.
- Standardized deployment of security best practices while retaining the flexibility to tailor client-specific solutions.
- Seamless migration of existing Okta clients to ZeroTek’s Okta-integrated platform for a more client-friendly billing model.
“We’re in ZeroTek multiple times a day, every day, managing clients on Okta. ZeroTek means I can just pivot securely from client to client, every action tracked and auditable, instead of having to manage a long roster of admin accounts, all with unique credentials,” says Chris. “When I need access to a client’s Okta Admin Console, it’s secure one-click access right from ZeroTek.”
What sets DRS apart is how they operate: they start with revenue workflows, identify the systems that keep the business moving, and then apply identity-first controls with the rigor required to make them effective in the real world.
Cleaner deal execution and billing transparency
ZeroTek supports simpler contracting and billing operations, helping DRS deliver managed identity in a predictable way to clients of every size.
“ZeroTek’s billing model for Okta licenses was a game-changer,” says Rory Meikle. “It really made Okta an accessible technology for all our customers. Our smallest client on Okta is a two-person shop, while our largest clients have hundreds of users. They’re all equally well-served by Okta’s excellent IAM.”
DRS also appreciates how the ZeroTek team cuts tape when they need anything additional from Okta to support a client. “ZeroTek’s Okta licenses meet the needs of most customers, but we also support clients with complex environments that require more layered solutions,” Rory explains. “Whenever we’ve needed an additional Okta SKU, ZeroTek has handled it for us—removing nearly all the procurement work—so we can deliver tailored solutions efficiently.”
ZeroTek supports simpler contracting and billing operations, helping DRS deliver managed identity in a predictable way to clients of every size.
“ZeroTek’s billing model for Okta licenses was a game-changer,” says Rory Meikle. “It really made Okta an accessible technology for all our customers. Our smallest client on Okta is a two-person shop, while our largest clients have hundreds of users. They’re all equally well-served by Okta’s excellent IAM.”
DRS also appreciates how the ZeroTek team cuts tape when they need anything additional from Okta to support a client. “ZeroTek’s Okta licenses meet the needs of most customers, but we also support clients with complex environments that require more layered solutions,” Rory explains. “Whenever we’ve needed an additional Okta SKU, ZeroTek has handled it for us—removing nearly all the procurement work—so we can deliver tailored solutions efficiently.”
SIEM-ready identity telemetry: Okta log forwarding for faster, deeper investigations
Revenue resiliency also depends on what happens after something suspicious occurs—how quickly teams can validate what happened, isolate the issue, and restore confidence without unnecessary downtime.
To support that, DRS integrates Okta event telemetry into its SIEM pipeline, making identity a first-class signal for detection, investigation, and response. This allows DRS to correlate authentication events with other security data sources, preserve audit-ready evidence longer, and accelerate post-incident forensics.
By forwarding Okta logs into the SIEM, DRS delivered measurable improvements:
- 4× log retention availability (with longer availability available upon customer request)
- More detailed behavior analytics during forensic investigations
- 17% improvement in threat investigation time following a security incident
Together, these integrations demonstrate how DRS uses Okta not as a standalone IAM tool, but as an integrated identity layer that supports infrastructure protection and incident response.
DRS uses Okta not as a standalone IAM tool, but as an integrated identity layer that supports infrastructure protection and incident response.
Integrated identity controls that reduce real risk: MFA for privileged server access
“Revenue resiliency” isn’t only about securing SaaS apps—it’s also about protecting the access paths attackers use to take critical systems offline. For many organizations, one of the highest-risk vectors is remote administrative access into servers.
In one client environment, DRS implemented Okta-backed MFA for RDP access into critical servers, integrating identity policy directly into privileged access workflows. This ensured that even if credentials were exposed, access to revenue-impacting systems still required strong, policy-controlled authentication.
The result was measurable: enforcing MFA for RDP access reduced overall server risk by 44% in that environment—demonstrating how DRS uses Okta not just for SaaS sign-ins, but as a core identity control layer that meaningfully hardens infrastructure access.
“Revenue resiliency” isn’t only about securing SaaS apps—it’s also about protecting the access paths attackers use to take critical systems offline. For many organizations, one of the highest-risk vectors is remote administrative access into servers.
In one client environment, DRS implemented Okta-backed MFA for RDP access into critical servers, integrating identity policy directly into privileged access workflows. This ensured that even if credentials were exposed, access to revenue-impacting systems still required strong, policy-controlled authentication.
The result was measurable: enforcing MFA for RDP access reduced overall server risk by 44% in that environment—demonstrating how DRS uses Okta not just for SaaS sign-ins, but as a core identity control layer that meaningfully hardens infrastructure access.
SIEM-ready identity telemetry: Okta log forwarding for faster, deeper investigations
Revenue resiliency also depends on what happens after something suspicious occurs—how quickly teams can validate what happened, isolate the issue, and restore confidence without unnecessary downtime.
To support that, DRS integrates Okta event telemetry into its SIEM pipeline, making identity a first-class signal for detection, investigation, and response. This allows DRS to correlate authentication events with other security data sources, preserve audit-ready evidence longer, and accelerate post-incident forensics.
By forwarding Okta logs into the SIEM, DRS delivered measurable improvements:
- 4× log retention availability (with longer availability available upon customer request)
- More detailed behavior analytics during forensic investigations
- 17% improvement in threat investigation time following a security incident
Together, these integrations demonstrate how DRS uses Okta not as a standalone IAM tool, but as an integrated identity layer that supports infrastructure protection and incident response.
DRS protects the systems that keep revenue moving—using Okta as the identity control plane and ZeroTek to deliver and manage it efficiently.
Why organizations choose Dark Rhiino Security
DRS is best suited for organizations facing pressure to strengthen their security posture—whether driven by compliance frameworks, insurance regulations and requirements, supply chain expectations, a desire to increase company valuation, or prior incidents.
What sets DRS apart is how they operate: they start with revenue workflows, identify the systems that keep the business moving, and then apply identity-first controls with the rigor required to make them effective in the real world. That includes carefully planned rollouts, precise policy design, and connecting Okta into the customer’s broader security program—so revenue-critical systems stay protected, auditable, and recoverable when it matters.
DRS is best suited for organizations facing pressure to strengthen their security posture—whether driven by compliance frameworks, insurance regulations and requirements, supply chain expectations, increasing company valuation, or prior incidents.
What sets DRS apart is how they operate: they start with revenue workflows, identify the systems that keep the business moving, and then apply identity-first controls with the rigor required to make them effective in the real world. That includes carefully planned rollouts, precise policy design, and connecting Okta into the customer’s broader security program—so revenue-critical systems stay protected, auditable, and recoverable when it matters.
SIEM-ready identity telemetry: Okta log forwarding for faster, deeper investigations
For these organizations, DRS provides:
- A consultative approach focused on revenue-critical systems and operational continuity
- Deep Okta and identity architecture expertise, including hybrid models where Entra remains the source of truth
- Proven integrations such as Okta-backed MFA for privileged access and Okta-to-SIEM telemetry for faster investigations
- An auditable, defensible security posture built on identity-first controls and measurable outcomes
- A scalable managed Okta delivery model through ZeroTek that reduces operational friction
In short, DRS protects the systems that keep revenue moving—using Okta as the identity control plane and ZeroTek to deliver and manage it efficiently—so their team can stay focused on execution, not administration.
