In recent years, cloud services have come to be used extensively in business settings. Amid this trend, many people have likely heard the term IDaaS, yet quite a few are still unsure exactly what it means.
IDaaS is a service that delivers an authentication platform through the cloud, and this article is written for those who want to understand it in more depth. Along with the basics and an overview of IDaaS, we will introduce its five key features, the benefits of adopting it, and some recommended services.
■What Is IDaaS?
To begin, let's look at an overview of what IDaaS is, along with why it is needed and the benefits it offers.
◇What Is IDaaS?
IDaaS stands for "Identity as a Service." It is a service that provides ID authentication, ID/password management, single sign-on (SSO), access control, and more, all delivered via the cloud. In a broader sense, it falls under the category of SaaS (Software as a Service), which provides systems and services through the cloud.
◇The Need for IDaaS and Its Market Share in Japan
In recent years, the way we work has changed dramatically. Companies now use cloud services far more often, and devices such as smartphones have become widespread, including for business use.
As the ICT environment grows more complex, the number of devices and pieces of user information (such as IDs and passwords) that need to be managed has increased significantly, making management increasingly cumbersome. Against this backdrop, IDaaS has drawn attention as a service that can centrally manage authentication information across both cloud and on-premises environments.
In fact, more and more companies and organizations are adopting IDaaS. Since the late 2010s, when the use of cloud services in business became commonplace, adoption of IDaaS has grown rapidly, and this trend is expected to continue at a high rate. Specifically, the global IDaaS market grew at an annual rate of 36.5% over the five years from 2017 to 2021, and the market size is expected to grow nearly fivefold over that same five-year period.
◇Benefits of IDaaS
Adopting IDaaS offers many benefits, with the following being some of the most notable:
Cost reduction
Improved convenience of password management
Stronger security
In the past, companies built their own authentication infrastructure on-premises using systems such as Active Directory, which required substantial cost to prepare dedicated servers and to build and operate the system. It also required specialized knowledge, making it essential to secure staff with the right expertise. With IDaaS, however, the authentication platform is available as a cloud service, which can significantly reduce these costs.
In addition, because authentication information can be consolidated regardless of environment, single sign-on becomes possible. This not only eliminates the need for users to manage individual passwords but also reduces the operational burden on administrators.
On top of this, as the shift toward telework and other new ways of working makes stronger security measures essential, IDaaS can also be combined with automatic detection based on user behavior and location-based authentication, contributing to stronger security overall.
■5 Key Features of IDaaS
IDaaS is mainly equipped with the following five features. To better understand IDaaS, let's look at each of them one by one.
◇Authentication (Single Sign-On) Feature
IDaaS provides functions such as user authentication, multi-factor authentication, and single sign-on. Multi-factor authentication combines ID/password authentication with additional methods, such as "device authentication," which allows access only from specific devices, and "biometric authentication," which uses information such as fingerprints or iris patterns.
Single sign-on is a feature that lets users log in to multiple registered web services, cloud services, and business applications using a single ID and password. With IDaaS, single sign-on can be achieved across both cloud and on-premises environments.
Reference pages
Learning the Basics of Single Sign-On (SSO): Benefits and How It Works
◇ID Management Feature
Along with authentication, managing user IDs and authentication information for various services is also important. IDaaS includes ID management functionality of its own, and it also handles user ID management for web services, cloud services, and business applications.
IDaaS supports "ID provisioning," which automatically keeps ID information consistent across multiple services. ID provisioning is a feature whereby, when an ID is added or removed in a particular service, the corresponding addition or removal is automatically carried out on the IDaaS side as well.
◇ID Federation Feature
By integrating with various cloud services, IDaaS supports "ID federation." ID federation is a feature that links IDs together when multiple services each have their own separate ID management system.
Once a user is authenticated through IDaaS, they can access linked services without having to go through the authentication screen again.
◇Authorization
Authorization refers to granting permissions to users. With IDaaS, you can grant access permissions and control access to cloud services on a per-user basis.
For example, permissions and access control can be set individually for each user, as shown below.
User A: Can access Cloud Service 1 and make edits
User B: Can access Cloud Service 1 for viewing only
User C: Cannot access Cloud Service 1
◇Auditing
IDaaS can capture access logs for access to IDaaS itself as well as authentication and other access to various cloud services, and can also log administrator activity.
Keeping these logs helps as a countermeasure against unauthorized access and cyberattacks, making it easier to notice incidents and respond appropriately when they occur.
■How Is IDaaS Different from a Password Manager?
A similar type of service is the "password manager," which centrally manages IDs and passwords for various cloud services and provides single sign-on. However, it is different from IDaaS in important ways, even though the two may seem similar.
Password managers are basically tools for individual use, focused on improving personal productivity. IDaaS, on the other hand, typically involves multiple user roles, such as "administrator" and "general user," and is focused on managing IDs and passwords at the organizational level.
Reference page
What Is the Difference Between ID/Password Management for Individuals and for Businesses?
For example, a password manager is a simple and suitable choice for a personally owned computer or for a freelancer. Conversely, IDaaS is better suited to organizations that want to separate user permissions and strengthen authentication security.
For instance, with IDaaS, a system administrator can generate login passwords for each cloud service and let general users sign on via single sign-on through IDaaS without ever telling them the actual passwords. This kind of setup is possible with IDaaS but not with a password manager.
■How to Choose IDaaS and Recommended Services
In this section, we'll introduce five key points for choosing an IDaaS, along with some recommended services.
◇5 Points for Choosing an IDaaS
IDaaS is being adopted not only by large enterprises but increasingly by small and medium-sized businesses as well. In response to this growing demand, both Japanese and overseas companies have released their own IDaaS products, and we often hear that there are simply too many options to know which one to choose. Below, we explain how to choose the right IDaaS using five key points, so let's go through them one at a time.
1) Reliability in Terms of Security and Operations
Since using IDaaS means storing your company's ID/password information outside your organization, it is essential that the service provider maintains a high level of security. If the provider's security is weak, malicious third parties could carry out a cyberattack, and in the worst case, your company's IDs and passwords could be leaked. For this reason, it's safer to choose a service that undergoes external audits of its security and operations and that has obtained an SOC certification.
Related article
SOC: An International Standard for Internal Controls, Considered from a Cloud Service Perspective
2) Continuity of the Service
Many services are now offered on a monthly subscription basis for businesses. From the perspective of the companies using them, this is often welcomed, since it lowers the initial investment and offers the convenience of being able to start and stop the service easily.
However, there is one problem to keep in mind: since IDaaS serves as a company's authentication platform, it would be a serious problem if the service were to shut down easily. For example, you should avoid choosing an IDaaS from a company that might say something like, "We launched this IDaaS, but since fewer users signed up than expected, we're discontinuing it next month."
To avoid this risk, you should choose an IDaaS provided by a company with a stable business foundation and the resources needed to keep the service running long term.
3) Support for Domestic (Japanese) SaaS
When IDaaS first emerged, it seemed that overseas companies were leading the way in development, but adopting an IDaaS from an overseas provider carries one particular risk: it may not support many SaaS products developed by Japanese companies.
Overseas IDaaS providers, in order to use their limited development resources efficiently, decide which SaaS products to support based on the needs of users around the world. In other words, the opinions of users in North America, where the population and user base are larger, tend to carry more weight, while the opinions of Japanese users, who make up a smaller share, tend to carry less.
If there is a domestic (Japanese) SaaS product that your company currently uses, you should always check whether it is supported. Even if an IDaaS provider tells you, "The domestic SaaS you use isn't supported yet, but we plan to support it in the future, so please go ahead and adopt our IDaaS first," you shouldn't take that at face value. It also takes some courage to push back and say, "We'll consider adopting it once it's actually supported."
Reference URL
TrustLogin's Supported Apps (Searchable)
4) Check the Details of Support in Advance
IDaaS represents a new authentication platform for a company. That means if a problem occurs and the support response is something like, "It's the middle of the night on the US West Coast, where our headquarters is, so we'll check on it in the morning," the impact on users can be significant.
For this reason, be sure to check the following three points.
[A] Support hours
Be sure to check exactly what hours, in Japan time, support is available. You should also check the time zone and availability if a support case gets escalated. With overseas companies, once a case is escalated, it may no longer be handled during Japan business hours.
[B] Support staff and escalation
You should check the following points:
Whether the first point of contact when a problem occurs is the developer or a reseller
Whether that contact is simply an intake desk or someone with actual technical expertise
What conditions trigger escalation of support
How many levels of escalation exist
How long it takes to get a response once a case is escalated
Whether support is available in Japanese or only in English
[C] Support channels
Check which support channels are available. For example, it's important to be able to use different channels as needed, such as chat for everyday questions and phone for urgent issues.
Phone
Chat
5) Check the Cost Details
Companies that provide IDaaS often promote how low their per-user cost is, but important details are sometimes written in the fine print. Here are some things to check before you click to sign the contract:
Whether it's a monthly or annual contract
Whether a minimum usage fee applies
Whether a minimum number of users is required
What is included in the standard plan versus what requires an optional fee
Whether support costs are included or charged separately
If you don't carefully check these points before you start using the service, you may end up facing unexpected costs later and going over budget. That's why we recommend checking carefully, and before signing the contract, confirming by phone or email that your understanding is correct.
The IDaaS that satisfies all five of the points above is "TrustLogin (formerly SKUID)," provided by GMO GlobalSign, which operates an SSL certificate authority as part of the GMO Internet Group.
High reliability built on more than 20 years of providing security infrastructure
A stable business foundation, since the company runs a certificate authority business in addition to IDaaS
As a Japanese company, top priority is given to Japanese users, and many Japanese SaaS products are already supported
Support available by email, phone, and chat
A simple, easy-to-understand pricing plan
We have built up more than 20 years of experience in the information security business, centered on our SSL certificate authority, and have earned the trust of many customers. Because we have a stable business foundation through our SSL certificate authority business, we are able to invest in maintaining a high level of security and providing a stable service.
TrustLogin is an IDaaS developed in Japan by a Japanese company. We do our best to quickly support niche domestic SaaS products whenever there is a request to do so. Also, because it is developed domestically, all documentation is provided in Japanese, meaning there is no stress involved in translating English-language documentation.
In addition, TrustLogin customers receive support directly from the maker. There's no need to be passed back and forth between a reseller and the manufacturer to resolve an issue. With overseas products, communication that goes through a Japanese reseller and an overseas manufacturer alone can sometimes take several days to get a response. With TrustLogin, however, inquiries go straight to the manufacturer and are answered immediately, so there's no time lag in resolving issues.
TrustLogin's pricing plans are simple, with almost no contract terms that put customers at a disadvantage, such as "this price applies only to annual contracts." You can sign up at any time and cancel at any time — that's TrustLogin.
Please take a look at our materials and see how TrustLogin can help you realize IDaaS for your organization.
■Summary
IDaaS (Identity as a Service) is a service that provides ID authentication, ID/password management, single sign-on, access control, and more via the cloud. Adopting it can be expected to reduce costs, improve convenience, and strengthen security.
As the way we work has changed dramatically in recent years, IDaaS has become increasingly important, and a wide variety of IDaaS products are now available. To choose the product that's truly the best fit for your organization from among the many options, the five points introduced in this article are essential to keep in mind.
Among the available options, we especially recommend TrustLogin, which meets all five of the key points for choosing an IDaaS. If you're unsure about adopting IDaaS, we invite you to reach out to TrustLogin for a consultation first.