What is a Customer Identity and Access Management solution?
A Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) solution enables application vendors to securely create, manage, and control user identities and access for their end-users. While this may seem unnecessary for small websites, it becomes essential for software products with large user bases, helping protect both users and services from unauthorized access.
CIAM solutions let you control who can sign in, how they authenticate, and what they can access after logging in. They also simplify ongoing user identity management. This article highlights the key benefits and features of CIAM solutions and how to leverage them effectively.
What is CIAM used for?
A CIAM solution is used to allow end-users to either self-register or be invited to join an online service in order to create a user account that they can subsequently use to log in to.
To log in, the user enters their username and password, and the Customer Identity & Access Management (CIAM) solution verifies the credentials before granting access.
For developers, CIAM can handle authentication for any internet-connected application-web, mobile, or desktop-used by end-users to access remote services.
CIAM implementations can also offer additional features to enhance or simplify authentication, such as:
All market-leading CIAM providers use similar, secure login flow – see the Google and Microsoft login pages below.
With a CIAM provider such as 10Duke, a simple and secure login flow can be implemented on a white-label basis.
See the example below, where 'Genius Company' would be replaced with your company's brand.
Key features of a Customer Identity Access Management solution
A CIAM solution can also include features to enhance the security of the authentication process:
Two-Factor / Multi-Factor Authentication refers to the addition of at least 2 factors that help to authenticate the end-user. This might be a text password and a one-time 6 digit code, a password and a smart card reader, a password and a smart key or any similar combination.
Identity Federation refers to a process in which the main Identity Provider in a CIAM solution delegates responsibility for authenticating the end-user to another authentication service/IdP, and then trusts this 3rd party’s authentication decision. This is what happens during the process of social sign-in, but most often federation is used to refer to a scenario in which the authentication decision is delegated to a corporate directory such as Active Directory (+ AD Federation Services). This is also sometimes referred to as “SAML SSO”.
Controlling Access to a Software Product
Depending on your use case, type of application(s) and your preferred software monetization model, you may want to consider controlling access to your software product in a more dynamic and detailed way than what CIAM solutions are typically capable of.
Software licensing is about controlling access to a software product that you publish and sell so that only those who have paid for it can use it, in accordance with the license terms under which the software product is sold. The end goal is to monetize your software product as effectively as possible, by enforcing the license terms.
You might hear terms like access management, entitlement management or software licensing, but in a software product context they’re essentially all about the same thing – controlling customer access to a digital resource, whether that’s a web-based SaaS app, a desktop application, or a file, to ensure profitability.
What often happens is that software businesses attempt to control access to their product with tools that aren’t really made for that purpose, or they try to develop a licensing system in-house to solve that particular problem as quickly as possible.
Self-built licensing systems rarely scale with business growth, wasting engineering resources on manual management and maintenance. This often leads to unnoticed revenue leakage.
This is why any software business looking to grow faster should look into a dedicated, outsourced software licensing solution from a specialist like 10Duke.
Unlock +20% more license revenue from existing customers
10Duke is the best-in-class cloud-based software licensing platform designed for fast-growing software businesses.
Improve how you license and monetize your software products.
Benefits of CIAM
Personalize end-user experiences with CIAM
As a CIAM solution stores user identities, it also offers the opportunity to utilize the data held in it, in order to personalize the online experience for the end-users. The more an application is able to present information that is directly relevant to the end-user the more valuable it will be.
With a capable Customer Identity Access Management solution, there should be a wealth of user attribute information available which can be used to personalize the information presented to the end-user.
Examples of this include:
- Presenting new products to the end-user based on products that you know they already have purchased
- Showing promotions for conferences to the user to attend, based on an awareness of their current location
- Showing support or training content in-app or via email, based on their recent purchase history.
User IDs managed easily with CIAM
A key benefit of CIAM is the easy management of user identities, permissions, and properties. CIAM lets users self-register, update their information, or be invited by admins, who can also manage user data.
This includes:
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Basic info (name, age, gender, location)
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Profile attributes (income, education, device type, IP address)
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Self-service options (self-registration, password changes)
CIAM also enables secure sharing of user data with connected business systems. For best results, CIAM should serve as the single source of truth for customer data, ensuring all systems remain in sync without manual updates.
A Centralised CIAM solution enables GDPR compliance
A successful CIAM implementation makes GDPR and other data regulation compliance easier by centralizing user data storage and management. While CIAM doesn't guarantee compliance, it supports it by letting users self-manage permissions and revoke consent, simplifying regulatory requirements.
Centralized data in CIAM also streamlines integration with CRM, ERP, or e-commerce systems. Multiple data repositories make compliance harder, so a single source of truth is ideal. Ultimately, a good CIAM solution should offer the flexibility to configure compliance according to your needs.
CIAM Solution helps with Access Management
A key feature of a good CIAM solution is robust access management. For simple web services, this is often handled with RBAC (Role-Based Access Control), assigning roles to users to define their access. More advanced scenarios may use dynamic access management services like 10Duke Enterprise.
No matter the method, a CIAM solution must control user access to protected resources after authentication. For developers, CIAM not only secures user identities and reduces security risks, but also streamlines user sign-up/sign-in, data integration with CRM, and GDPR compliance.
A good CIAM solution will integrate with a software licensing solution, allowing you to manage user identities and control software access and licensing from a single platform. This ensures secure authentication, license compliance, and protection against unauthorized use.
Conclusion
A Customer Identity Access Management solution can help provide you with numerous benefits and if you are looking to find a way to better manage user identities, provide security and an enhanced experience for end-users then a CIAM solution is for you.
If you want to hit two birds with one stone, consider 10Duke Enterprise as your CIAM and software licensing solution to help you generate the most revenue, protect your customers and to offer them an improved user experience.
To learn more about what 10Duke Enterprise is capable of you can ask us questions or schedule a demo.
Customer Identity and Access Management – Summary & Key Questions Answered
- What is a Customer Identity and Access Management solution?
A Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) solution lets application vendors securely create, manage, and control user identities and access for their end-users. It ensures only authorized users can access your software while simplifying ongoing identity management. - What is CIAM used for?
CIAM is used to let users create accounts, log in, and access applications securely. It handles authentication for web, mobile, and desktop apps, supporting features like social sign-in, single sign-on, and other advanced authentication methods. - What are the key features of a CIAM solution?
A CIAM solution can include multi-factor authentication, identity federation, strong password policies, and secure communication protocols. These features help protect against unauthorized access and maintain the integrity of user accounts. - How does CIAM improve software access management?
CIAM improves access management by controlling who can log in and what they can do within an application. It integrates with licensing systems to ensure that only authorized users can access paid software, reducing revenue leakage. - How does CIAM personalize user experiences?
CIAM stores user identity data that can be used to personalize experiences, such as showing relevant products, promotions, or support content. A good CIAM solution enables tailored interactions based on user behavior and attributes. - How does CIAM support GDPR and compliance?
By centralizing user data and allowing self-service controls, CIAM simplifies GDPR and other regulatory compliance. Users can manage their permissions and consent, while businesses maintain a single source of truth for customer data. - Why should software businesses consider 10Duke for CIAM and licensing?
10Duke Enterprise is the only product in the market that combines CIAM and software licensing in one platform. It helps businesses secure user identities, control software access, and maximize license revenue, while providing a better experience for end-users.
Are you a software developer looking to sell more? Learn more from our guides:
Should You Build Or Buy a Licensing System?
How to Monetize Software Products?
Guide to Software Licensing – Basics Explained
Software Licensing Models – Ultimate Guide
What Is Software License Management?
Customer Identity and Access Management – What should a good CIAM solution provide?
