As IGA technology and solutions continue to evolve, industry analyst Gartner released their latest review of what products are best for different needs. The review also outlines what kind of solutions have the broadest market, and Cross Identity is a clear leader in this regard. The review was released on 7th December 2020, based on data gathered about 6 months before.
What Are The Core IGA Functions?
Gartner considers the following IGA functions as core to the technology:
- Access certification
- Access requests
- Auditing
- Entitlements management
- Fulfillment (also called “provisioning”)
- Identity analytics and reporting
- Identity lifecycle management
- Policy and role management
- Workflow orchestration
Type of Solutions
When a solution fulfils only some of these functions, without much depth (usually as a small addition to an Access Management solution), they are called ‘Converged IAM with Light IGA’ under Gartner’s terminology. When the solution offers only a select few of these functions, but with significant depth, it falls under the umbrella of á ‘Specialized IAM tool’, and when it offers superior capabilities in all or most of these areas, it is considered an ‘IGA Suite’.
According to Gartner, solutions fall into three categories in their latest IGA matrix. They are scored against their depth of capability, and against IGA functionality, along the axes.
Those with basic capabilities and functionality, such as Okta, Microsoft, and (at the time) Cross Identity, were çlassified as ‘Converged IAM with Light IGA’.
Where depth of capability scored high, but IGA functionality scored low, the name ‘Specialized IAM Tools’ was given, because such solutions focus only on select IGA features but fulfil them deeply. Featured in this quadrant were solutions like Brainwave GRC, Clearskye, NetStudio and SecZetta.
Finally, at the top right of the matrix are full featured ‘ÍGA Suites’ such as Broadcom, Forgerock, Saviynt, Sailpoint, Oracle and Omada, which offer deep capabilities as well as high IGA functionality.
Matching Solutions to Customers
All 3 classes of solution are relevant in their own ways.
The first kind of solution, ‘Converged IAM with Light IGA’, is ideal for those organizations that are just stepping into the world of IAM, or for those that are looking to move from full-suite IGA products to a converged solution at a lower price. They cost less, which was important even before the COVID-19 situation, but even more so during and after, when budgets are low. This is the main benefit of this class of solution as both Access Management (which is critical for security and agility), and light IGA, are offered at a reduced cost.
‘Specialized IAM Tools’ serve the niche where deep functionality is required, either on its own or to supplement a ‘Converged IAM with Light IGA’ solution. Companies in industries with strong IGA-related regulations such as Healthcare and Finance require such solutions.
Of critical importance are ‘ÍGA Suites’, which are the current top-of-the-line offerings. Most businesses ultimately require such deep and comprehensive solutions. With the technology becoming a must have, whether to maintain security or to fulfil statutory regulations, almost all businesses must, sooner or later, employ these.
Gartner Recommends…
Now, Gartner’s explicit recommendation to most businesses is to adopt a solution that is ‘Converged IAM with Light IGA’ (due to cost-effectiveness) but one that is progressing quickly to a kind of ‘IAM + IGA Suite’ status. Because IGA Suites will be a necessity somewhere down the line, a solution which comes at a low price and offers both Access Management as well as light IGA, but has full-suite IGA in the roadmap, is ideally poised to offer the best returns.
As of 6 months ago, when data for the review was collected, there were no solutions that had fit this bill. But, this has changed.
Why Cross Identity CI Fits the Bill
Cross Identity is pleased to announce that its CI solution now offers all this and more.
Among the list of core IGA functionalities, the solution currently lacks only Identity Analytics and Reporting. Identity Lifecycle Management is also a little incomplete, but, for the most part, CI offers both prolific Access Management, as well as near full-suite IGA capabilities, at the price of a Converged IAM and Light IGA solution.
It is truly the most cost-effective product currently on the market. Extensive IGA aside, the Access Management component is also extremely comprehensive, with unique features such as full support for thick-client SSO; something that most competitors’ products lack. It also features a risk engine, and visual analytics, all for one low subscription cost.
The solution was released a few years ago and rapidly gained acclaim as one of the best on the market in terms of cost-performance ratio. A powerhouse of features with quick and easy installation, quick ROI, and a simple interface that is designed to be operated by ordinary, non-IAM IT staff, the enterprise-class solution is available through Cross Identity’ extensive partner network across Asia, USA, and Europe.
To learn more about CI, you may visit https://www.crossidentity.com/products/cross-identity/
