First, let's take a quick look at some of the growing IAM market's major players, highlighting their more noteworthy features. In alphabetical order, here are some of the major vendors you're likely to encounter:
Historically, CyberArk was best known for its privileged access management (PAM) capabilities and secrets management. In 2017, the vendor acquired Conjur to help extend PAM capabilities into cloud environments. The 2020 purchase of Idaptive expanded CyberArk's capabilities in single sign-on (SSO), multifactor authentication (MFA) and identity lifecycle management, and also supplemented those capabilities with AI.
Long known for its strong focus on encryption, authentication and digital certificates, Entrust offers MFA, SSO, federation and PAM. Entrust has been investing heavily in IAM the past few years, purchasing WorldReach Software -- an identity vendor focused on immigration -- in 2021 and AI identity-fraud player Onfido in 2024.
IBM's history in the identity space dates to before the firm's acquisition of Tivoli in 1996. In addition to supporting SSO and MFA use cases, IBM provides strong governance and PAM capabilities. IBM Security Verify, launched in 2018, includes AI-driven risk analysis, aiding in threat detection.
Microsoft IAM products are primarily offered through Entra ID -- formerly Azure Active Directory -- and include SSO, MFA, conditional access and identity governance.
Okta, a longstanding player in IAM, is known for its flexibility, integration, and SSO and MFA capabilities. The vendor is also recognized for its efforts to help reduce dependence on passwords and its easy-to-navigate UI. While Okta has a strong presence with SaaS applications, Okta Secure Gateway helps extend the vendor's SSO capabilities to on-premises applications. In 2021, Okta bought Auth0, a vendor with strong customer-focused identity management offerings, bolstering its capabilities in customer-facing offerings.
OneLogin -- a long-running, well-known member of the IAM space -- was purchased in 2021 by IAM vendor One Identity. Product features include identity governance, access management, PAM and the ability to help automate and manage Entra (Active Directory). AI-backed threat management promises to help identify and address IAM risks.
Ping Identity, now owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, has a long history in the IAM space. The vendor specializes in SSO, MFA and federation. It's a strong player across cloud, hybrid and on-premises environments. One notable offering is PingOne DaVinci, a low-code orchestration product resulting from Ping Identity's purchase of Singular Key in late 2021.
SailPoint Technologies, another vendor owned by Thoma Bravo, is a strong player in identity governance and orchestration, especially in automated provisioning and deprovisioning. They also offer machine identity, AI-driven identity governance with it SailPoint Atlas platform and automated IAM risk management.
Founded in 2019, Strivacity focuses predominantly on customer identity and access management as opposed to workforce and organizational IAM. Like Ping Identity's PingOne DaVinci, the no-code/low-code approach in Strivacity's platform can streamline adoption. Product capabilities include SSO, MFA, self-service and customizable UI and workflow experiences.