Identity as a Service (IDaaS) and its Functionalities

Identity as a Service

Introduction –

Most companies deal with a massive amount of employee and customer details. Managing and protecting this influx of such voluminous data brings in a unique set of challenges for any organization. While the executives discuss the various means of avoiding data breaches and protecting customer identity, the phrase identity as a service (or IDaaS) comes into the picture. In the wake of data leakage scandals, organizations are turning towards Identity as a Service (IDaaS) solutions. But what is Identity as a Service (IDaaS), and how does it benefit enterprises? If you are searching for the answers to these questions, you are on the right page.

What is IDaaS?

Identity as a Service (IDaaS) is a cloud-based Identity & Access Management (IAM) solution hosted, operated, and managed by a trusted third-party provider. It delivers enterprise-grade identity management and administers sensitive data access as a cloud-based service. The IDaaS services are for those enterprises that trust & subscribe to a third-party provider for their authentication mechanism. Such a cloud-based service makes it easier for enterprises to manage access privileges and authentication services. The third-party IDaaS provider renders this service remotely over the internet rather than deploying it on-premises.

The primary purpose of an Identity Service is to assure users are who they claim to be & get the appropriate access to resources like files, applications, and other data. If the identity service management infrastructure resides on-site, the company has to figure out the problem as it pops up. But with the cloud-based identity service, the third-party IDaaS provider will take the heat of maintaining the system and figuring out any problem. A cloud-based identity service will host an application and cater to an authentication mechanism by charging some amount. Then, it will provide access to its client/owner as per demand.

Applications of IDaaS –

When a company builds or updates a product, they have to determine which functionalities to develop by its internal team and which ones to entrust to a third party. As for the payment systems, companies prefer to use the platform Square rather than developing a payment system from scratch. The same goes for the login system also. Considering the login complexities and the implication of identity management on analytics and security, companies prefer to purchase and integrate an IDaaS solution. IDaaS renders cloud-based services where companies can integrate their authentication APIs into the application that supervises all authentication and identity management for you.

If an application developer wants to include features like adaptive multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and universal directory (UD) access in their product, IDaaS solutions are the best alternatives. They allow enterprises and their applications to connect via APIs and supply cloud-based authentication features. IDaaS providers deliver such features as Software-as-a-Service, wherein they provide dashboards from where developers and enterprises can establish access controls or set various authentication mechanisms.

Benefits of IDaaS –

The current trend and work culture is shifting towards a mobile workforce. Also, the proliferation of user and employee accounts is changing the architectural landscape of managing identities. Keeping in mind the growing concerns and complexities of identity management and privacy, an organization should handle identity and access management through specialized third-party vendors. That is where IDaaS comes into the picture displaying several benefits.

· The first benefit of leveraging an IDaaS system is cost and time savings. Provisioning an identity management system on-site becomes costly as the company has to purchase, upgrade, and install the software. Then paying for hosting, setting the VPN, regular data backup, system monitoring, and additional turf for physical and network security takes a lot of time and cost. But, with IDaaS, the price drops & results in better ROI with improved security and management.

· IDaaS helped augment the system’s security and simplified the authentication system. It uses faster logins with fewer password resets through single sign-on (SSO). This feature allows users to use the sign-in mechanism only once and share the sign-in information with other apps. It utilizes browser-based session management that uses cookies and local storage to preserve user sessions and authentication information.

· Since IDaaS runs on a cloud-based architecture, it provides multi-tenant services to various customers and organizations with real-time updates on performance improvements, system fixes, new features, etc. Also, because IDaaS runs on cloud platforms, it is scalable and affordable at the same time.

Components and Functionalities of IDaaS –

The components and functionality of IDaaS closely resemble IAM and CIAM solutions with some distinctions. Due to the growing concern about data privacy and the enactment of data compliances & regulations, organizations fail to comply with such statutes. That is why they prefer to outsource identity management services. However, it is equally essential for an organization to understand the components and functionalities that any IDaaS provider will deliver.

· Single Sign-on Feature and Federation:

Single Sign-on (SSO) helps enhance the customer experience while maintaining availability and security during authentication. Users can implement the safest password combination without having to spend effort remembering it. Then, based on the single sign-on credentials, users can sign in to other apps. While web SSO uses browser storage mechanisms like cookies and local storage to support the user session for multiple authentications, federated SSO comes in handy when developers need to implement SSO with third-party applications.

· Multidimensional Security Mechanisms:

The most basic need of IDaaS is to render identity and access management through a cloud-based platform. Almost all IDaaS offers security features and concepts like multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometric authentication, and digital access cards. All these functionalities help in the easy retrieval of digital identity and user credentials in a secure fashion.

· Built-in Analytics and Intelligence:

IDaaS also comes with the capability to analyze, identify, and report the usage and performance of access privileges in the context of multifaceted connections. IDaaS has built-in algorithms to analyze users, their roles & responsibilities, and intelligently segregate authorizations and job functions. These cloud-based IAMs can also keep track of data usage and multiple failed attempts for authentication. These analyses allow IDaaS-driven organizations to recognize anomalies within the workforce segment or the application leveraging IDaaS service.

Difference Between Legacy Identity Systems vs IDaaS Services

Wrapping Up –

Cloud-based IAM and CIAM services offer efficiency, savings, and expertise. Like network monitoring, cloud computing & storage, etc., organizations can also move their identity management to cloud-based solutions. It helps the overall business to reduce risks and avoid IT infrastructure while accelerating digital transformation initiatives.