Identity & Access Management

Overview

Identity and Access Management (IAM) platforms handle who can access what resources and under what conditions. They encompass authentication (proving identity), authorization (granting permissions), single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and identity governance.

Top Players

Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)

• Company: Microsoft (USA)
• Market Position: Dominant enterprise identity provider
• Key Strengths: 700M+ users, deep Microsoft 365 integration, conditional access, Passwordless authentication, Entra Verified ID
• Key Features: SSO, MFA, Conditional Access, Privileged Identity Management, External Identities
• Typical Customers: Enterprises using Microsoft ecosystem

Okta

• Company: Okta Inc. (USA)
• Market Position: Leading independent identity platform
• Key Strengths: 7,000+ SSO integrations, Universal Directory, advanced lifecycle management, strong developer tools
• Products: Workforce Identity Cloud, Customer Identity Cloud (Auth0)
• Typical Customers: Enterprises, SaaS companies (CIAM via Auth0)

Auth0 (Okta)

• Company: Okta Inc. (USA, acquired 2021)
• Market Position: Leader in Customer Identity (CIAM) and developer-friendly auth
• Key Strengths: Developer-first design, extensive SDKs, Actions (serverless extensibility), universal login, social login
• Typical Users: Application developers, SaaS companies, B2C platforms

Ping Identity

• Company: Thales Group (France, acquired 2024)
• Market Position: Strong in hybrid and complex enterprise IAM
• Key Strengths: Hybrid deployment flexibility, strong API security, decentralized identity, PingOne platform
• Products: PingOne (cloud), PingFederate, PingAccess
• Typical Customers: Large enterprises, financial services, healthcare

CyberArk

• Company: CyberArk (USA/Israel)
• Market Position: Leader in Privileged Access Management (PAM)
• Key Strengths: Privileged access security, secrets management, identity security platform, endpoint privilege management
• Products: Privilege Cloud, Conjur (secrets), Workforce Identity, Secure Browser
• Typical Customers: Enterprises with strict compliance requirements

Key Trends

• Passwordless authentication: Passkeys, FIDO2 keys, and biometrics replacing passwords
• Identity-first security: Identity as the new security perimeter in Zero Trust architectures
• Decentralized identity: Verifiable credentials and self-sovereign identity emerging
• Machine identity management: Managing certificates, API keys, and service accounts at scale