Alexis Kestler
Hey there! As an identity management geek, I‘m excited to dive into the top CIAM platforms on the market. With data breaches becoming more common, businesses can‘t afford to neglect solid customer identity and access management. This technology is crucial for securing your customer data while also providing seamless digital experiences.
Let me walk you through the key capabilities, pros and cons, and important evaluation criteria for the top 10 CIAM solutions. I‘ve been researching and analyzing these tools extensively, so I‘m eager to share my insights with you.
First up, what exactly is CIAM? It focuses specifically on managing external customer identities, as opposed to IAM which handles employee access. CIAM creates a unified customer profile by aggregating data across systems like your CRM, marketing platforms, support portals, and more. This gives you a single view of each customer.
With this consolidated identity data, CIAM platforms enable you to:
- Manage sign-on across apps and websites using SSO
- Support multi-factor authentication for high-risk transactions
- Build custom access policies based on user attributes
- Gain customer insights through identity analytics
- Automate identity processes like onboarding and offboarding
- Integrate with marketing and CX systems to personalize experiences
According to Gartner, the CIAM market is set to grow at a CAGR of 15% through 2024. So it‘s a hot space with lots of innovation right now!
Alright, let‘s look at the top 10 vendors:
1. LoginRadius
LoginRadius tops my list because of its amazing API-first architecture. As an integration specialist, I love how flexible and extensible it is. Developers can use LoginRadius‘ APIs to easily integrate CIAM into any app or website. It even offers SDKs for platforms like React Native, Xamarin, and Flutter. For non-technical users, LoginRadius has an intuitive admin portal for managing customer identities.
Some key features include:
- Social login support
- Progressive profiling to gradually collect more identity data
- AI-powered bot detection at login
- Consent management capabilities
- Identity analytics and segmentation
LoginRadius has over 500 prebuilt integrations, plus open APIs for custom connections. It scales to support over 1 million logins per minute. Pricing is flexible – they offer usage-based, per seat, and unlimited plans.
2. Microsoft Azure AD External Identities
For enterprises committed to the Microsoft stack, Azure AD makes sense. It extends Azure AD‘s core capabilities like SSO and MFA to securely manage customer identities. The integration and interoperability with Microsoft apps is seamless.
Key features:
- Pre-built connections with Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, and more
- AI-powered identity protection and risk detections
- Automated identity lifecycle workflows
- Works across web, mobile, and legacy apps
- Tight access management controls
Downsides are the vendor lock-in, large enterprise focus, and complex pricing structure. But it‘s a solid choice for Microsoft-centric organizations.
3. Okta Customer Identity
Okta is the 800-pound gorilla in CIAM. They were one of the first to market and lead on innovation. Okta integrates with over 6,500 apps and handles up to 200 million authentications daily for major brands.
Okta Customer Identity offers:
- Robust social login and SSO capabilities
- Adaptive MFA and contextual access management
- Lifecycle automations and user self-service
- Consolidated reporting and analytics
- Developer tools like APIs and SDKs
Downsides are the steeper learning curve and premium pricing. But Okta is powerful and full-featured for complex, large-scale deployments.
4. ForgeRock Identity Platform
ForgeRock excels at CIAM for highly regulated industries like banking, insurance, healthcare, and government. Their platform is built to handle complex identity requirements and compliance demands.
Key capabilities:
- Strong access management and authorization
- Consent and preference management
- Identity process automation
- Multiple deployment modes – cloud, hybrid, on-prem
- Extensive standards support – SAML, OIDC, OAuth 2.0, SCIM
The downside is the heavier setup and specialized focus. But ForgeRock is a top choice for advanced use cases like online banking or patient records.
5. SAP Customer Data Cloud
As an SAP partner, I often recommend SAP Customer Data Cloud to clients committed to SAP‘s CX portfolio. It‘s tightly integrated with SAP solutions for ecommerce, marketing, sales, and service.
It provides:
- Unified customer profile built from SAP data
- Consent and preference management
- Customer identity verification
- Profile enrichment with third-party data
- Identity analytics and segmentation
However, it lacks capabilities like SSO and MFA. It‘s best suited to enhance existing SAP deployments.
6. IBM Cloud Identity
IBM Cloud Identity brings IBM‘s deep security expertise to CIAM. It provides robust identity lifecycle management optimized for hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
Key features:
- Identity orchestration and governance
- Access management across cloud, on-prem, and hybrid apps
- Advanced risk analytics and insights
- Integrations with Watson AI capabilities
- Deployment flexibility
However, the solution can be complex to configure and manage. IBM Cloud Identity is best for regulated, highly security-conscious organizations.
7. Ping Identity Platform
Ping Identity helps some of the largest global enterprises manage and secure customer identities. They offer comprehensive capabilities:
- Standards-based federated SSO and MFA
- Consolidated identity and access governance
- Data residency controls
- API and IoT security
- Prebuilt accelerators and plugins
Downsides are the premium pricing and steep learning curve. It requires significant IT resources to deploy and manage. PingIdentity best serves complex, global deployments.
8. WSO2 Identity Server
For organizations seeking an open-source option, WSO2 Identity Server is compelling. As an OSS platform, it‘s highly flexible, customizable, and cost-effective.
Key features:
- SSO, identity federation, and MFA
- Access management for APIs and microservices
- Consent and privacy tools
- Works across mobile, web, and legacy apps
- Vibrant developer community
However, WSO2 requires more hands-on configuration and in-house technical skills. Support options are also limited. It works best for dev-centric organizations willing to invest in customization.
9. Salesforce Identity
Salesforce Identity extends Salesforce‘s CRM platform with CIAM capabilities. It enables SSO and identity management centered around Salesforce‘s ecosystem.
Benefits:
- Tight integration with Salesforce CRM
- Familiar workflows and UX for Salesforce users
- Identity governance features like access reviews
- Progressive profiling of customers
- Supported by Salesforce‘s community and ecosystem
The limitations are reliance on Salesforce CRM and fewer advanced features. It‘s best suited to Salesforce-committed organizations.
10. Janrain
Recently acquired by Akamai, Janrain offers a solid CIAM solution focused on seamless login experiences. It was early to market with social login and progressive profiling support.
Key features:
- Streamlined social login for apps and websites
- User profile enrichment from social data
- Consent management for privacy compliance
- Customer identity analytics
However, Janrain lacks capabilities like access management and MFA. Its features are more basic compared to leaders like Okta and LoginRadius.
When evaluating these platforms, factor in deployment models, authentication support, privacy tools, scalability needs, integrations, pricing, and more. I‘d strongly advise piloting multiple vendors – the right fit depends on your use cases and technical environment.
As digital engagement accelerates, robust CIAM only becomes more crucial. I hope these insights help you advance your customer identity strategy and protect your customer data! Let me know if you have any other questions.
