WHAT WE DO

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM)

CIAM secures digital interactions by managing customer identities, enabling businesses to deliver safe, seamless, and personalised online experiences.

What is CIAM?

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) is a specialised subset of Identity and Access Management (IAM), focused specifically on managing and securing customer identities.

Platforms such as e-commerce websites and online banking systems are secured by offering advanced authentication and authorisation methods, while keeping customer information safe from unauthorised access and breaches.

See the key features of a CIAM platform

Why is CIAM important?

CIAM simplifies customer interactions by providing secure, seamless access across multiple services with a single set of credentials. This convenience strengthens customer satisfaction and loyalty, which are key drivers of growth.

But it isn’t just about ease of access, it also enhances security. By using features like multi-factor authentication, consent management, and identity verification, CIAM protects sensitive customer data and ensures compliance with regulations like GDPR.

Adopting a strong CIAM solution not only safeguards your business but also fosters trust and enables personalised experiences that help you stay competitive in an increasingly customer-centric world.

Talk to our team about CIAM

How CIAM solutions protect customers from fraud and breaches

CIAM solutions provide a vital layer of protection against fraud and breaches by implementing stringent security protocols and advanced threat detection capabilities. These platforms rely on multi-factor authentication, encryption, and tokenisation to ensure customer data is accessed only by authorised users.

Real-time threat detection and behavioural analytics allow CIAM systems to identify and mitigate suspicious activities promptly. Additionally, these solutions empower customers with greater control over their data by enabling them to manage consent, preferences, and privacy settings transparently.

If you're interested in discussing how CIAM can help your business, please do get in touch.

Key elements of a CIAM platform include:

Customers are easily frustrated by digital experiences that don't match expectations. A clunky sign-on experience is likely to impact the customer's view of your organisation. The result? Low brand loyalty and high abandonment rates.

With single sign-on (SSO), customers receive a frictionless log-in experience, using a single identity for all your services. Multi-factor authentication further identifies the users logging into your systems by asking for more than one type of verification.

Other benefits include your ability to:

Improve customer experience
Protect customer data
Reduce operational costs
Optimise business value
Get to know your customers better

User Registration

Secure and easy registration, capturing necessary profiling data.

Seamless Access

CIAM supports user access across multiple devices and platforms.

Data Privacy Controls

Customers can manage their privacy settings and consent preferences.

Profile Management

Users can manage their profiles to keep data up-to-date over time.

While some businesses see CIAM as a technical necessity for secure customer access, it offers much more. A well-implemented CIAM solution can transform the user experience, positioning your business for growth in a highly competitive digital landscape. By focusing on customer satisfaction and providing a tailored, secure experience, CIAM drives loyalty and trust, key elements for business success.

Book a CIAM demonstration

Single sign-on (SSO)

Single sign-on is a method of authentication and login that allows access to a variety of applications using a single set of credentials. This works because of a relationship defined between the identity provider and the applications being accessed. A certificate or token is exchanged to prove that the user's identity information is being provided by a trusted source. This information could be system information, i.e. where the information is being sent from, or simply the user's email address.

If you're interest in adopting single sign-on and would like to discuss this further, please don't hesitate to contact our team - we'd be delighted to help you in your CIAM journey.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Multi-factor authentication means that users attempting to log into your systems must provide more than one type of verification in order to be allowed access. This could be a combination of username/password and a text containing a code sent to their mobile phone, biometrics, email confirmation, or an alternative.

Typically, users provide something they know (e.g. a username and password combination), something they have (e.g. a code via text, email or push notification) and something they are (e.g. biometrics like fingerprint, facial scan or location data). CIAM solutions, such as Auth0 and OneLogin, benefit from MFA functionality.

What are the risks of not adopting a CIAM platform?

Without a robust CIAM solution, security vulnerabilities leave customer data exposed to breaches and cyberattacks. Weak encryption, outdated systems, and inadequate access controls create opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit sensitive information. Data breaches can lead to significant financial losses, legal liabilities, and operational disruptions.

Adopting a strong CIAM solution not only mitigates these risks but also ensures that customer experience is not sacrificed for security. By prioritising robust data protection strategies and seamless authentication, organisations can safeguard customer trust while positioning themselves for long-term success.

What ROI should you expect from a CIAM solution?

Organisations can spend thousands on manual customer management workflows and run the risk of costly data breach and non-compliance fines.

CIAM can reduce manual workflow costs by as much as 99%. Enabling self-service account management for customers removes admin-heavy manual tasks and offers more freedom to the customer.

Why partner with Intragen to deliver a CIAM solution?

As a leading European partner of IAM solutions, our specialist team is experienced across a multitude of tools and service providers, including One Identity, Okta, SailPoint and CyberArk. Speak to us today about any of these providers and see how we can assist you.

With the acquisitions of AspisID and Atlas Identity, our workforce was expanded significantly to introduce further technological capabilities around One Identity’s offerings, plus services around Okta, SailPoint, CyberArk and Workato solutions. Our talented team is on hand to assist you wherever you are in your IAM journey.

Speak to us today about our services and solutions

Auth0

Intragen are a proud Okta Partner. We are delighted to be able to deliver Okta's Auth0 solution. As a CIAM tool, it allows you to create strong relationships with your customers through branded, secure access to your online services. The excellent user experience provided is modern and scalable, meaning you're set for the future.

Read about Auth0

OneLogin Customer Identity

OneLogin Customer Identity is a solution provided by One Identity for securing your customer's journeys and information, all whilst providing a customised experience. By preventing incoming data breaches and fraudulent attacks, customer trust can be maintained.

If you're interested in learning more about OneLogin Customer Identity, please do get in touch with us or request a demonstration of the solution.

Request a demonstration

What does CIAM stand for?

CIAM stands for Customer Identity and Access Management, a branch of Identity and Access Management (IAM).

Speak to us about CIAM

How is CIAM different from IAM?

While both Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) and Identity and Access Management (IAM) focus on identity security, their purposes and audiences differ. IAM primarily manages internal access for employees, contractors, and partners, ensuring compliance with organisational security protocols.

CIAM, in contrast, is tailored to manage customer identities. It emphasises creating secure, user-friendly experiences for individuals interacting with digital platforms. CIAM solutions often include features like self-service registration, social login, and consent management, enabling businesses to enhance customer engagement while maintaining compliance.

In short, IAM secures internal operations, whereas CIAM safeguards external customer interactions, making both integral to comprehensive identity management.

	Customer Identity and Access Management	Identity and Access Management
Purpose	Tailored to manage customer identities by emphasising secure, user-friendly experiences for individuals interacting with digital platforms.	Primarily manages internal access for employees, ensuring compliance with organisational security protocols.
Audience	Customers, contractors, partners, APIs.	Employees and internal users.
No. of users	Significantly more than IAM and must be able to scale fluidly without affecting performance.	Predictable and steady, typically fewer than CIAM.
Features	Self-service registration, social login, identity proofing, SSO, MFA, consent management to enhance customer engagement whilst maintaining compliance and more.	MFA, employee provisioning, SSO, SaaS app access control, delegated admin, directories, plus much more.
Cost savings	Aims to improve the relationships between you and your customers through engagement and conversion. Reduces the cost of support desks and increases operational efficiency.	IAM isn't intended to add revenue to your business, it prioritises security, helps you achieve your compliance goals and brings operational efficiency.
Managed by	The users themselves through self-service.	Your HR or IT team.

Discuss your IAM requirements with us

What's the difference between CIAM and WIAM?

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) and Workforce Identity and Access Management (WIAM) differ because:

WIAM is for internal identities e.g. employees, contractors, outsourcers, and your extended workforce. CIAM is for external identities e.g. B2C and B2B transactions, consumers, partners, and citizens.
WIAM benefits from approval workflow functionality, access certification, enterprise policy and role management, HR integration and more.
CIAM instead focuses on BYOI integration, user registration, consent, preference and privacy management, progressive profiling, and marketing, CRM and sales integration.
The crossover between WIAM and CIAM is in SSO functionality, password management, profile management, user authentication and MFA, and access requests.

Read our blog on the differences between CIAM and WIAM

How is CIAM different from AM?

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) streamlines the digital experience for your customers while protecting their data. CIAM differs from Access Management (AM) – AM is specifically tailored for employee access within your business.

What Customer Identity and Access Management solutions do Intragen offer?

We are delighted to offer consultancy, integration and managed services support for One Identity and Okta solutions across CIAM. If there is another solution or challenge you'd like to discuss, please do get in touch and we will assist you.

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