In the short time between the 2024 KuppingerCole Identity Fabrics Leadership Compass and the previous edition, the identity landscape has changed dramatically. AI has become a factor to be reckoned with in both cybersecurity and cybercrime; cybercriminals are finding ways to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA); and the idea of an end-to-end identity platform—a new concept in 2022—has become foundational to successfully establishing identity security.
One thing hasn’t changed since KuppingerCole Analysts AG last published an Identity Fabrics Leadership Compass report is that RSA has again been named an Overall Leader, Innovation Leader, and Market Leader.
I think this speaks to our company’s continued ability to deliver the full breadth of identity components that an identity fabric requires, and the security-first depth that sets us apart. Just look at the headlines and you’ll see why that depth is crucial: being an identity vendor isn’t good enough given the prevalence and severity of identity threats today. To prevent data breaches and stop risks, organizations need vendors that put security first.
KuppingerCole defines Identity Fabrics as the “foundational paradigm” for identity and access management (IAM) today. Within that paradigm, multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a critical capability—but as recent data breaches have painfully (and expensively) demonstrated, it can’t be the only critical capability.
As more and more cyberattacks successfully breach organizations by doing end runs around MFA and attack other points in the identity lifecycle, authentication in general and MFA in particular will work best as part of a larger collection of interconnected identity security capabilities.
The RSA Unified Identity Platform reflects this shift to an identity fabric woven of multiple strands that together strengthen an organization’s security posture. Providing a single platform for all identity capabilities, it delivers automated identity intelligence, authentication, access, governance, and lifecycle capabilities needed to advance zero trust and secure cloud environments.
One of the criteria on which KuppingerCole evaluates identity vendors is the presence of a broad range of identity and access management capabilities, spanning across access management (including MFA) and identity governance and administration (IGA). The breadth of RSA’s platform helped us earn our place in this Leadership Compass.
But while the breadth of RSA’s platform coverage is impressive, it’s the depth of our security capabilities that we believe to be the critical factor in identity security. We are a security-first identity company with a security-first identity platform. We believe that will continue being the cornerstone of our success; likewise, we believe that identity vendors organizations that skimp on security will continue to be breached.
Another point the KuppingerCole report makes is that few companies being recognized for their leadership in Identity Fabrics meet every single requirement in its definition of the term. As a result, they conclude, Identity Fabrics almost always requires a multi-vendor strategy.
RSA shines in every IAM area that KuppingerCole considers essential, leveraging our own technology for MFA, IGA, hardware-based authentication, mobile security, and AI-driven risk management. RSA can also provide further capabilities via certified integrations if needed.
I’m proud that RSA stood out in the KuppingerCole Identity Fabrics Leadership Compass report. Market research shows that customers want a unified identity platform rather than point solutions, and KuppingerCole’s analysis provides transparent assessments of the few vendors that can play well in all identity domains.
But it’s more than just market forces driving the need for a unified identity platform: it’s the constant threat that identity is under. Organizations must prioritize identity solutions that can withstand those attacks. If identity is an organization’s shield, then it’s also an attacker’s target. Organizations need to be sure that identity is strong enough to endure whatever gets thrown at it.
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Download the 2024 KuppingerCole Leadership Compass: Identity Fabrics report.
