User Authentication

The Top 10 User Authentication And Access Management Solutions

Discover the top user authentication software solutions to authenticate user access to critical business systems. Compare features such as admin policies, authentication options, passwordless functionality and risk assessments.

The Top 10 User Authentication And Access Management Solutions include:
  • 1. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access
  • 2. IS Decisions UserLock
  • 3. Duo Advantage
  • 4. Entrust Identity Enterprise
  • 5. IBM Security Verify
  • 6. JumpCloud Protect
  • 7. Microsoft Entra ID
  • 8. Okta Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication
  • 9. Onelogin Workforce Identity
  • 10. SecureAuth

Security solutions that authenticate and manage user access to systems have never been more important. Increasingly, organizations are relying on cloud applications like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for critical business functions. Securing access to these systems with user authentication tools is key to protecting against data loss and security breaches.

User authentication tools verify that only authorized users can access cloud applications and company accounts. These systems are designed to ensure that only the right people can access the right business systems, and they offer a range of features which help to enhance basic username and password account security.

Authentication systems provide IT teams with a host of security controls and policies, such as enforcing multi-factor authentication so that if a set of credentials are compromised in a phishing attack, there are extra layers of security place to deny access to malicious actors. Some systems will allow admins to implement passwordless authentication, providing users with single sign-on capabilities.

Gartner have predicted that in 2023, 60% of large and global enterprises and 80% of SMBs will be using enterprise-wide Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to manage user authentication, backed up by an access management platform.

In this shortlist we’ll compare the top User Authentication and Access Management platforms. We’ll explore key features including MFA options, adaptive authentication, flexibility, level of visibility, user experience and pricing.

Thales Logo

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access is a leading cloud-based user authentication solution, providing secure access to cloud services and enterprise applications with single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and granular access policies. SafeNet Trusted Access is a single, integrated authentication platform, which allows organizations to protect online identities and ensure compliance with legal requirements, while ensuing users can easily access accounts and services. SafeNet Trusted Access is well-suited to securing access for cloud-services and can help to alleviate password-related data breaches, with greater admin visibility and controls.

SafeNet Trusted Access provides secure, seamless Single Sign-On (SSO) which allows users to log into all of their cloud-applications a single set of verified credentials. This means that end-users get a much more convenient login experience, while vastly improving account security, by giving admins more visibility and removing the reliance on weak passwords that are difficult to secure. SafeNet Trusted Access Smart Single Sign-On uses adaptive multi-factor authentication to verify user login requests and protect against account takeover. In addition, admins can set flexible policies that support a broad range of authentication methods for a variety of scenarios, which can also be applied to regional compliance requirements according to user groups.

SafeNet Trusted Access is highly reviewed by customers, especially for its flexible authentication policies, and fast deployment process. SafeNet Trusted access provides admins with deep visibility into account access, with single sign-on and multi-factor authentication reporting at a per-user level. The solution also features integrations with other solutions, such as privileged access management providers, with hundreds of out-of-the-box integrations. SafeNet Trusted Access is a comprehensive, powerful user authentication solution, which we would recommend to organizations of all sizes looking for secure authentication and SSO for diverse user needs.

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IsDecisions Logo

IS Decisions is a provider of access security solutions that are focused on securing both Windows Active Directory and cloud environments. UserLock is their solution for Active Directory identity and access management. The platform offers a comprehensive approach to user access security by combining multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and session management, and protects both on-premises and remote users’ access to corporate systems and cloud applications.

With UserLock, IT administrators can enforce multi-factor authentication across Windows logins, remote desktops, IIS apps, VPNs, and cloud applications. The platform supports authentication via authenticator apps and hardware tokens like YubiKey and Token2. IT admins can use UserLock to define rules that grant, deny, or limit access based on factors like device, location, time, and session type. The platform also supports SAML-based SSO for seamless access to cloud applications like Microsoft 365. From the UserLock management console, admins have a complete overview of user access activity and can monitor sessions in real-time. They can generate audit reports, compliance reports, and gain insights into login attempts. If any suspicious behavior is detected, the administrator can block the session remotely, which closes the current session and prevents further login attempts.

UserLock is a robust identity and access management solution that provides IT teams with comprehensive control over user access to Windows Server and cloud environments. The platform is easy to deploy and comes with full technical support from IS Decisions. Additionally, UserLock supports compliance with various data protection standards such as GDPR, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOX, ISO27001, and NIST 800-53. Overall, we recommend UserLock to both small businesses and large enterprises looking for a secure and scalable solution for managing user access and ensuring data protection and compliance.

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Duo Logo

Duo, recently acquired by Cisco, is a comprehensive user authentication and access management platform. They offer multiple solutions to authenticate users, provide visibility into account security and secure access to servers and applications. Duo provides multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, configurable adaptive access policies, and device trust functionality. These services are delivered across multiple plans and options, starting with a free version for small teams, right up to Duo Beyond for larger organizations. Duo Advantage is their mid-tier solution, providing adaptive authentication, access policies and device self-remediation at a low monthly price point.

Cisco Duo MFA allows you to easily enforce multi-factor authentication across corporate accounts. Duo has a modern and easy to use authentication app, which allows for easy push notifications to verify user identities. Users can use their smartphone, watch or another token to gain account access. MFA is easy to set up and configure, with active directory syncs, bunk enrollment and user self-enrollment options. As well as MFA, admins can also simplify access to accounts with secure single sign-on, allowing for passwordless access to company accounts. With Duo Access, admins can also enforce contextual, adaptive authentication policies which grant or block user access based on multiple factors.

Duo Advantage provides multiple access policies which allow you to apply policies to certain groups and restrict logins based on location and other factors, allowing you to take more control over account security. A unique feature for Duo is their device management, which can prompt users to update laptops and mobile devices when logging into accounts, helping to ensure devices themselves remain secure against cyber-threats. Duo also gives IT teams visibility into all devices that are accessing company applications and servers, flagging up potential security risks. Duo is a powerful user authentication tool, praised by customers for its ease of use both for end users and IT admins.

Duo Logo
Enntrust Logo

Entrust Identity Enterprise (formally known as Entrust IdentityGuard) is a cloud identity and access management platform that secures access to apps, networks, and devices. This platform provides key user authentication features, including adaptive authentication, MFA and comprehensive access controls. This service is available as an on-premise solution with physical token-based access, and as a cloud-service. This overview will focus on the cloud solution. Entrust also offer an ‘Essentials’ version of this service aimed predominately at small and mid-sized organizations.

Entrust offers SSO across corporate applications and cloud accounts, with location-based adaptive authentication. This allows users passwordless access to their accounts, while ensuring that accounts remain secure if any risks or unusual activity is detected. Entrust offers a multi-factor authentication app for identity proofing, allowing admins to control level of authentication access from biometric face scans right through to government issued identification to ensure user authenticity.

The platform offers granular authentication policies and reports, within a simple management console. Admins can edit risk-based authentication policies and configure user policies within a simple admin dashboard. From here they can also access numerous reports into user profiles and authentication events to monitor organization wide security. The service provides out-of-the-box integrations to make deploying the service and onboarding users easier. It integrates with on-premise applications, as well as Azure and with LDAP databases. Entrust is a powerful user authentication and access management platform, with granular controls and security policies.

Enntrust Logo
IBM Logo

IBM Security Verify is an enterprise access management solution that provides effective security for business data and identities. Whether your business infrastructure is on-premises or cloud-based, this solution is designed to offer secure and efficient Identity and Access Management (IAM) with contextual authentication processes driven by innovative artificial intelligence systems.

IBM Security Verify provides a user-friendly, low-friction user authentication process, delivered as a cloud-native, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The solution enforces authentication for applications and users within an enterprise environment. It also enables Single Sign-On, with centralized admin control for applications. IBM Security Verify uses advanced authentication abilities including passwordless authentication and multi-factor authentication (MFA), thereby reducing password risks.

IBM’s adaptive authentication feature uses machine learning to continuously monitor user risks within the context of their activity, ensuring accuracy. The solution also provides consent management templates an important tool for compliance. The lifecycle management feature aligns application access with employee workflows through a consolidated control panel, enabling admins to implement least privilege principles and easily onboard/offboard users.

IBM Security Verify also incorporates identity analytics, enabling risk assessment across users, entitlements, and applications for comprehensive insight into possible vulnerabilities. IBM Security Verify provides effective AI-powered identity intelligence and provides a flexible service, in particular supporting effective transition to cloud-based authentication.

IBM Logo
JumpCloud logo

JumpCloud is a leading identity and access management solution that helps organizations enforce and manage identity and access management tools, such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and single sign-on, as well as device management tools, like mobile device management and patch management. The platform offers a centralized interface for IT admins to secure user accounts and devices, maintain Zero Trust policies, and demonstrate compliance with data protection standards.

JumpCloud’s MFA solution, JumpCloud Protect, secures user accounts against related breaches, such as brute force and phishing attacks. JumpCloud Protect supports various authentication methods, including push notification, universal second factor keys, Time-based One-Time Passwords (TOTPs), and in-device biometrics. This enables admins to choose the most suitable method for their users, providing a more secure and frictionless login experience.

JumpCloud administrators can set policies around logins by assessing the user’s device and location. Users are prompted to verify their identities via MFA if the login is deemed out of policy, securing accounts against unauthorized access by attackers using stolen credentials. The JumpCloud MFA solution also simplifies the administration process for IT administrators, as they can enforce MFA from the same portal for all users. The platform’s user-friendly enrollment feature allows admins to establish flexible time frames for users to set up MFA remotely, with automated reminders for user compliance.

The JumpCloud MFA solution is entirely cloud-based, allowing for easy scalability and quick deployment and integration with an organization’s existing IT environment. The JumpCloud Protect app is compatible with Apple iOS, Android devices, macOS, Windows, Linux devices, VPN, wireless networks, and servers. With over 180,000 organizations worldwide using JumpCloud, the platform is consistently ranked highly by customers. JumpCloud MFA is suitable for small, medium enterprises, and mid-market organizations looking for easily managed account security that can be implemented across remote or hybrid workforces with minimal effort using existing resources.

JumpCloud logo
Microsoft logo

Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Microsoft Azure Active Directory) provides enterprise Single Sign-On (SSO), MFA, and privilege management. This ensures that accounts are protected, whilst allowing streamlined access for users. Entra ID ensures you get the balance between user experience and security through risk-based adaptive access policies. This means that Azure will assess how risky a situation is and require the corresponding level of security to allow access.

Through the Microsoft Entra ID admin center, identities can be centrally managed from an intuitive console. This also allows you to access your cloud and on-premises applications, ensuring that the solution is easy to use for however you work. The dashboard gives you efficient visibility and control over users and access, allowing for efficient remediation. To aid with user governance, Entra ID provides a range of configurable policies, ensuring that the platform meets your organization’s unique needs. When granting privileged access, for example, the admin can set a time-limit to ensure this additional access does not become a problem.

Beyond authentication and access management, Entra ID allows for effective authorization, administration, governance, self-service management, and management of cloud infrastructure. The solution allows admin fine-grained control, and extensive visibility across users and accounts. From an end-user’s perspective, the solution is streamlined and intuitive. Entra ID allows you to use MFA and SSO to maintain security, whilst improving workflow – by removing the need to login to each application, a user’s workday is that little bit smoother. Microsoft Entra ID is an effective and intuitive solution to managing multiple identities and account whilst prioritizing security and user experience.

Okta Logo

Okta is an identity management platform that allows IT teams secure access to cloud accounts. Okta provides multi-factor authentication and single sign-on, with integrations to multiple cloud-based tools and applications through the Okta Integration Network. This includes supporting custom built applications, giving users a consistent passwordless experience across corporate accounts and providing enhanced control and visibility.

Okta Single Sign-On provides reliable passwordless authentication, allowing users to easily access all of their applications. Okta integrates with all of your web and mobile applications, with a flexible access policy engine. Okta secures access with MFA and adaptive user authentication via Okta’s Verify application. Okta’s MFA platform supports a range of different authentication methods, including security questions, one-time passcodes, smartphone notifications, and biometrics.

Okta secures users across your organization with integration to AD/LDAP across multiple domains. With the Okta Access Gateway you can integrate with your custom built and on-premise applications, ideal for organizations who need to secure access to custom portals and implement role-based controls. Okta provides a range of reports, including real-time systems logs with location tracking, and application specific access reports. Okta is a scalable identity management solution ideal for larger organizations, especially those with on-premise and custom applications.

Onelogin logo

OneLogin Workforce Identity is designed to safeguard the identities and enforce multi-factor authentication for internal employees and external users. The solution has an extensive app catalogue with over 6,000 integrations, simplifying the process of implementing multi-factor authentication for all users within the organization. OneLogin is a considerable player in the authentication platform market, with over 5,000 customers.

The key features of OneLogin Workforce Identity include the ability for admins to streamline identity management from several directories including Workday, Active Directory, LDAP, and G Suite. This streamlining enhances account security by enforcing single sign-on, multi-factor authentication and ‘SmartFactor Authentication’, a feature that supports adaptive authentication based on context. Additionally, OneLogin simplifies user and application management by offering Identity Lifecycle Management, which automates onboarding and off-boarding processes.

Another key feature of this solution is OneLogin Desktop, which fosters passwordless authentication by facilitating certificate-based authentication for remote employees. OneLogin Access extends secure access to both on-premises and cloud applications. OneLogin enforces MFA for network devices and applications like WiFi and VPN. Notably, OneLogin also preserves secure remote access to on-premises Windows servers and desktops. This is a flexible, comprehensive authentication solution, particularly suited to teams looking to secure both on-prem and cloud applications.

Onelogin logo
SecureAuth Logo

Arculix by SecureAuth helps to secure company accounts without compromising on user experience and ease of account access. This platform offers multi-factor authentication, risk-based adaptive authentication policies, single sign-on, and user self-service to help secure access to corporate accounts and block account takeover attempts. Arculix supports cloud, on-premise and hybrid deployments. This platform is built to open standards and offers a full set of APIs to enable easy integration with your existing environments.

Arculix supports adaptive authentication, using a broad set of risk checks and behavioral indicators in order to evaluate the log-in attempts, including device health, location, IP address, and user behaviours, such as repeated failed log-ins. Arculix supports nearly 30 different methods of authentication checks, including mobile push notifications, biometrics, and desktop one-time passwords. Augmenting MFA is Single Sign-On, which gives Arculix users a seamless, passwordless way to access accounts without sacrificing account security.

Arculix provides a range of admin controls and tools to make managing user authentication and account access easier for IT teams. Users can access self-service resources to help reduce the support burden on IT teams, including self-service password resets, enrollment, and updates. Arculix supports multiple different deployment options and integrates with easy to use APIs, for simplified deployment and account integration. Arculix also provides a number of editable templates, policies, and settings that help to simplify access management and improve the user authentication experience. Arculix offers a comprehensive user authentication and access management platform with a number of strong features. In particular, customers praise the multiple deployment options and granular policies this platform offers.

The Top 10 User Authentication And Access Management Solutions