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Opal vs Oasis Security: access governance vs NHI and agentic access management
Opal is the access governance control plane for humans, non-human identities (NHIs), and AI agents, with just-in-time grants by default and enforcement in the identity and gateway stack you already run. Oasis Security is an NHI and agentic access management platform focused on discovering, governing, and securing non-human and agent identities at scale. Cyera acquired Oasis in 2026, and the product is now positioned as Cyera Identity.
If you’re comparing Opal and Oasis, or looking at Cyera Identity, the two products overlap on AI agents but are built for different primary jobs. This page lays out where each one fits.
Who each is for
Oasis Security (Cyera Identity) is built for teams whose main program is non-human and agentic access. That means inventorying agents and NHIs across cloud, SaaS, PaaS, and on-prem, cutting over-privileged agent access, and automating agent identity provisioning and policy. On oasis.security, Oasis leads with Agentic Access Management and NHI security. Cyera completed its acquisition of Oasis in September 2026, and Oasis now operates as Cyera Identity within Cyera’s data and identity platform.
Opal is an AI-native access governance platform. It decides every access request against your policy for people, service accounts, NHIs, and AI agents, and enforces the decision in the IdP and gateway infrastructure you already run (Okta, Entra ID, and others). It doesn’t replace the IdP. Opal Zero extends the same control plane to AI agents: inventory, owner and purpose, access limited to what the owner holds, and MCP gateway enforcement.
Related: AI-native IGA · Access governance · IGA · Opal vs SailPoint · Opal vs Clutch Security
Comparison table
Dimension | Opal | Oasis Security (Cyera Identity) |
|---|---|---|
Primary job | Access governance and modern IGA: requests, policy, JIT, reviews, and continuous enforcement for employees and agents. | NHI and agentic access management: discover, assess, provision, and govern non-human and AI-agent identities (oasis.security). |
Identity scope | Humans, NHIs, and AI agents in one decision and enforcement plane. | NHIs, machine identities, and agents first. Workforce IGA, such as JIT for people and app access reviews, isn’t the focus of its public positioning. |
Grant model | Time-bound, JIT by default, with automatic expiry and audit evidence as a byproduct. | Oasis describes automating agent identity provisioning, giving agents the right access only for as long as they need it, and enforcing policy at scale. |
Place in the stack | Complements the IdP as the access control plane on top of Okta, Entra, and cloud IdPs. | An NHI and agent governance layer across IaaS, SaaS, PaaS, vaults, and AI services, often alongside the IdP and vaults (oasis.security). |
AI agents | Opal Zero: inventory, owner and purpose, access limited to what the owner holds, enforced through the MCP gateway you already use. | Agentic Access Management: maps agents, identities, and permissions and governs agent access across cloud and AI apps (oasis.security). |
Who buys | Security engineering, platform, and identity teams at engineer-led, cloud-native enterprises, with the CISO as the buyer. | Security teams focused on NHI sprawl, secrets and vaults, and agent permissions, often within identity security or CISO programs. The combined data and identity story with Cyera may also factor in. |
Classic IGA and SoD | Modern IGA capabilities: JIT, reviews, discovery, and enforcement. Not positioned as a SailPoint-class SoD leader. | A modern NHI and agent platform, not a classic enterprise SoD and certification IGA. |
Time to value | Most teams see visibility and working JIT in days through native integrations. | Oasis publishes proof-of-value results on its site, such as attack-surface reduction within days. These are Oasis’s own figures, and there’s no independent head-to-head timing. |
When to choose Oasis Security / Cyera Identity
Choose Oasis / Cyera Identity when:
NHI and agent discovery and lifecycle is the main program: inventory, over-privileged agents, and provisioning and decommissioning machine and agent identities.
Combining data and identity security with Cyera is a strategic priority.
Human JIT, SaaS access reviews, and workforce access governance are secondary, or already handled by your IdP, an IGA tool, or Opal.
When to choose Opal
Choose Opal when:
The problem is standing privilege and who gets access, for both people and agents, with JIT by default, reviews, and policy as code.
You want one governance plane for humans, NHIs, and AI agents, including Opal Zero for the MCP path.
You want to keep Okta or Entra and add an access control plane on top that can change access, not just report on it.
You need visibility and working JIT in days, starting with one high-risk system.
Using both
Some teams run Opal alongside an NHI specialist. Oasis / Cyera Identity handles NHI and agent posture and lifecycle. Opal handles access request decisions, JIT grants, and continuous enforcement for employees and agents on the IdP and gateway path.
Capability deep dives
Opal: decisions and enforcement for people and agents
Opal is built to enforce. It doesn’t stop at surfacing excess access. It removes standing privilege and grants just-in-time access. Paladin decides requests, and enforcement lands in the stack you already run.
Result | Customer |
|---|---|
88% reduction in standing access | Chronosphere |
78% reduction in privileged access | Palo Alto Networks |
1,500+ developers on JIT | Sophos |
5 min access requests, down from 3 days | Valon |
86,000 time-bound access requests approved | Databricks |
150+ apps under governance | Superhuman |
Oasis: agentic access management
According to oasis.security, Oasis maps every agent, identity, and permission, automates agent identity provisioning, and enforces policy at scale across cloud, SaaS, vaults, and AI services. Cyera’s acquisition announcement positions Oasis as access management for the agentic enterprise, operating as Cyera Identity.
Opal Zero and Oasis on AI agents
Both address AI agents, from different starting points. Oasis leads with NHI and agentic access management: discovering, provisioning, and governing agent permissions. Opal Zero leads with governing agent access on the same plane as people: owner and purpose, access limited to what the owner holds, decisions from Paladin, and enforcement at the MCP gateway. If NHI sprawl is the core program, Oasis is built for that. If JIT for employees and agent access decisions are the core program, Opal is.
About Opal
Opal Security has raised $59M from Greylock and Battery Ventures and works with 100+ enterprise teams. Opal integrates with 250+ systems. Opal Zero launch offer: $30,000 for the first year, through December 30, 2026, for organizations under 3,000 employees, on opal.dev/zero.
FAQ
Is Opal an Oasis Security alternative?
Yes, for access governance that covers both people and agents. Opal is a practical alternative when you’re buying for JIT, reviews, and one control plane for people, NHIs, and AI agents on your IdP. It isn’t positioned as a drop-in replacement for every Oasis / Cyera Identity NHI discovery and agentic access management program.
Was Oasis Security acquired by Cyera?
Yes. Cyera completed its acquisition of Oasis Security in September 2026, and the Oasis platform now operates as Cyera Identity. Many buyers still search for it as Oasis Security. See Cyera’s announcement.
Does Opal replace Oasis or Cyera Identity?
Not necessarily. Some teams run Opal for employee and agent access requests and keep an NHI specialist for discovery and lifecycle. Others choose Opal alone when standing privilege, JIT, and shared human and agent governance are the main problem. Whether to replace or run both is an architecture decision.
How is access governance different from NHI and agentic access management?
Access governance, Opal’s focus, decides who gets what access, for how long, and under what policy, then enforces it for people and agents. NHI and agentic access management, Oasis’s focus, discovers and governs non-human and agent identities, their permissions, and their lifecycle at scale. The two overlap on agents, but the primary job is different.
Can Opal govern AI agents?
Yes. Opal Zero inventories agents, assigns an owner and purpose, limits access to what the owner holds, and enforces decisions through the MCP gateway. Paladin makes the decisions, and audit evidence is a byproduct.
Does Opal replace my identity provider?
No. Opal sits on top of Okta, Entra ID, and other IdPs. It adds decisions and enforcement without ripping out your identity stack.
What results have Opal customers seen?
Chronosphere cut standing access by 88%. Databricks has approved 86,000 time-bound access requests. Superhuman governs 150+ apps with Opal. Palo Alto Networks cut privileged access by 78%. Sophos has 1,500+ developers on JIT. Valon brought access requests down from 3 days to 5 minutes. More on the customers page.
Competitor information is based on publicly available sources as of September 2026. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.