Auto-Scaling Reality: How Avatier Outperforms ForgeRock (PingIdentity) in Cloud Identity Management

Cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) platforms are now critical infrastructure for enterprises as they speed up their digital transformation efforts. With Gartner predicting that 95% of new digital workloads will be deployed on cloud-native platforms by 2025, the ability to auto-scale IAM solutions efficiently isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a business imperative.

This analysis compares the cloud capabilities of two significant players in the IAM space: Avatier with its containerized approach and ForgeRock (now part of PingIdentity following a $2.8 billion acquisition). We’ll examine how each platform addresses the critical needs of modern enterprises: scalability, availability, deployment flexibility, and cost optimization.

The Container Revolution: Avatier’s Identity-as-a-Container Approach

Avatier has pioneered the Identity-as-a-Container (IDaaC) approach, representing a fundamental shift in how identity management solutions are deployed and scaled in cloud environments. Unlike traditional cloud offerings that often rely on proprietary architectures, Avatier’s container-based solution embraces modern DevOps principles.

Key advantages of Avatier’s container approach:

1. True Auto-Scaling: Avatier’s Docker-based containers can automatically scale based on real-time demand, with orchestration tools like Kubernetes managing container instances. This provides a more granular and responsive scaling mechanism than VM-based approaches.
2. Deployment Flexibility: Avatier can be deployed in any environment that supports Docker containers, including AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, private clouds, or hybrid environments. This gives organizations maximum flexibility to align with their existing cloud strategy.
3. Resource Efficiency: Containers share the host OS kernel, making them significantly more lightweight than virtual machines. According to industry benchmarks, container-based applications typically use 25-50% fewer resources than equivalent VM-based deployments, resulting in substantial cost savings.
4. Rapid Deployment and Updates: Container images can be deployed in seconds rather than minutes, with consistent performance across environments. Updates and patches can be applied with minimal downtime through rolling update strategies.

ForgeRock Cloud: The Traditional Cloud Approach

ForgeRock (now part of PingIdentity) has taken a different approach with its cloud identity offering. While ForgeRock has made significant strides in cloud deployment, its architecture relies more heavily on traditional cloud infrastructure patterns.

Key characteristics of ForgeRock’s cloud approach:

1. Cloud-Specific Deployments: ForgeRock’s cloud solutions are optimized for specific cloud providers, potentially creating some vendor lock-in concerns.
2. VM-Based Scaling: While ForgeRock supports auto-scaling, its architecture typically relies on scaling virtual machines rather than containers, which can result in more coarse-grained scaling and potentially higher resource utilization.
3. Managed Service Option: ForgeRock offers a fully-managed cloud service, which reduces operational overhead but may limit customization options compared to self-managed deployments.
4. Enterprise Focus: ForgeRock has traditionally focused on large enterprise deployments, which influences its cloud architecture and pricing models.

Real-World Performance: Scaling Under Pressure

To understand how these architectural differences translate to real-world performance, it’s instructive to examine how each platform handles scaling under high-demand scenarios.

Avatier’s Container-Based Scaling

Avatier’s container-based architecture demonstrates several advantages in high-demand scenarios:

1. Rapid Response to Traffic Spikes: In benchmark tests, Avatier’s container-based architecture can spin up new instances in 1-2 seconds, compared to 1-3 minutes for VM-based solutions. This means that during unexpected traffic spikes (like Monday morning login rushes), the system can respond almost immediately.
2. Granular Resource Allocation: Containers allow for more precise resource allocation. Rather than scaling entire VMs, Avatier can add just the resources needed for specific functions experiencing high demand.
3. Cost Efficiency During Peak Loads: The container approach means you only pay for the exact resources you need. During a recent customer implementation, Avatier’s solution demonstrated 40% cost savings during peak loads compared to previous VM-based solutions.
4. Consistent Performance: Avatier’s identity management architecture ensures consistent performance even as the system scales, maintaining sub-second response times for critical operations like authentication.

ForgeRock’s Approach to Scaling

ForgeRock’s scaling approach has its own characteristics:

1. Predictive Scaling: ForgeRock has invested in predictive scaling technologies that attempt to anticipate traffic increases before they occur.
2. Vertical Scaling Options: ForgeRock’s architecture sometimes relies on vertical scaling (increasing resources of existing instances) in addition to horizontal scaling (adding more instances).
3. Regional Deployment Models: ForgeRock emphasizes regional deployments to ensure compliance with data sovereignty requirements, which can add complexity to global scaling strategies.
4. Enterprise-Grade Stability: ForgeRock has focused heavily on ensuring stability during scaling events, with particular emphasis on maintaining session persistence.

Availability and Redundancy: Ensuring Always-On Identity Services

Outages in identity services can severely disrupt operations. Both Avatier and ForgeRock approach high availability differently.

Avatier’s Approach to Availability

Avatier’s container-based architecture provides several availability advantages:

1. Self-Healing Architecture: Container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes automatically detect and replace failed containers, often resolving issues before they impact users.
2. Cross-Region Redundancy: Avatier’s containerized deployment model simplifies cross-region redundancy, allowing organizations to maintain identity services even during regional outages.
3. Zero-Downtime Updates: Container orchestration enables rolling updates with zero downtime, eliminating the need for maintenance windows.
4. Stateless Design: Avatier’s architecture employs a stateless design principle, making it more resilient to node failures and easier to scale horizontally.

Avatier customers report impressive availability metrics, with many achieving 99.999% uptime (less than 5 minutes of downtime per year) for their identity services using the containerized approach.

ForgeRock’s Availability Strategy

ForgeRock has developed its own approach to ensuring high availability:

1. Active-Active Clusters: ForgeRock supports active-active deployment models for its core identity services.
2. Cloud Provider Integration: ForgeRock leverages cloud provider-specific availability features, which can provide robust redundancy within a given provider’s ecosystem.
3. Disaster Recovery Automation: ForgeRock has invested in automation for disaster recovery scenarios, though these often involve more complex procedures than container-based solutions.
4. Global Distribution: For large enterprises, ForgeRock offers guidance on distributing identity workloads globally.

Total Cost of Ownership: Container Efficiency vs. Traditional Cloud

Perhaps the most compelling comparison between Avatier and ForgeRock comes down to the total cost of ownership (TCO). The architectural differences between these platforms create significant cost implications.

Avatier’s TCO Advantages

Avatier’s containerized approach delivers several cost benefits:

1. Resource Efficiency: Containers typically use 25-50% fewer resources than VMs for equivalent workloads. For identity management workloads, this translates to direct infrastructure savings.
2. Precise Auto-Scaling: Avatier’s fine-grained auto-scaling means you only pay for what you need, when you need it. Organizations report 30-40% cost savings compared to static provisioning approaches.
3. Reduced Operational Overhead: Container orchestration platforms automate many operational tasks, reducing the need for specialized staff to manage the identity infrastructure.
4. Deployment Flexibility: The ability to run on any cloud provider or on-premises gives organizations leverage in negotiating with cloud providers and avoiding vendor lock-in premiums.

ForgeRock’s TCO Considerations

ForgeRock’s approach has different cost implications:

1. Enterprise Licensing Models: ForgeRock traditionally uses enterprise licensing models that may be less flexible for organizations with fluctuating needs.
2. Managed Service Premium: ForgeRock’s managed services can reduce operational overhead but typically come at a premium price.
3. Cloud Provider Optimization: ForgeRock’s solutions are often optimized for specific cloud providers, which may limit cost optimization options.
4. Professional Services Requirements: ForgeRock implementations often require more extensive professional services, adding to the total cost.

Security and Compliance: Meeting Enterprise Requirements

Both Avatier and ForgeRock take security seriously, but their approaches differ in implementation.

Avatier’s Security Approach

Avatier’s security model includes:

1. Containerized Security: Each container is isolated, reducing the attack surface and limiting the impact of potential breaches.
2. Continuous Security Updates: Container images can be quickly updated to address security vulnerabilities, reducing the window of exposure.
3. Comprehensive Compliance Support: Avatier provides robust compliance solutions for major regulations including FISMA, NIST 800-53, HIPAA, SOX, and industry-specific regulations.
4. Zero Trust Architecture: Avatier’s architecture embraces zero trust principles, with granular authentication and authorization at every level.

ForgeRock’s Security Stance

ForgeRock emphasizes security through:

1. Enterprise-Grade Authentication: Robust authentication mechanisms, including advanced adaptive authentication.
2. Comprehensive Audit Capabilities: Detailed audit logging for compliance and security investigation purposes.
3. Identity Governance Features: Strong identity governance capabilities to ensure appropriate access.
4. Security Certifications: ForgeRock maintains various security certifications for its cloud offerings.

Integration and Extensibility: Building an Identity Ecosystem

Modern identity solutions must integrate seamlessly with a wide range of applications and services. Both Avatier and ForgeRock offer extensive integration capabilities, but with different approaches.

Avatier’s Integration Approach

Avatier emphasizes:

1. Container-Native Integration: Avatier’s containerized architecture makes it easier to integrate with other container-based services and modern microservices architectures.
2. Extensive Connector Library: Avatier offers comprehensive application connectors for integrating with hundreds of enterprise applications.
3. API-First Design: Avatier’s APIs are designed to be comprehensive and developer-friendly, enabling custom integrations when needed.
4. Low-Code Customization: Avatier provides low-code customization options that reduce the need for specialized development resources.

ForgeRock’s Integration Capabilities

ForgeRock offers:

1. Enterprise Integration Focus: Strong emphasis on integrating with legacy enterprise systems.
2. Identity Gateway: ForgeRock’s Identity Gateway provides specialized functionality for complex integration scenarios.
3. Developer Tools: Robust developer tools and SDKs for custom integrations.
4. Partner Ecosystem: An extensive partner ecosystem for specialized integration needs.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Auto-Scaling Reality for Your Enterprise

Both Avatier and ForgeRock offer compelling cloud identity solutions, but with fundamentally different approaches that will appeal to different types of organizations.

Avatier’s container-based approach makes it the ideal choice for:

• Organizations embracing modern DevOps practices and cloud-native architectures
• Companies seeking maximum deployment flexibility across cloud providers
• Businesses with variable identity workloads that benefit from precise auto-scaling
• Organizations looking to optimize cloud spending through efficient resource utilization

ForgeRock’s approach may be preferred by:

• Large enterprises with established relationships with specific cloud providers
• Organizations that prefer managed services with less operational responsibility
• Companies with complex legacy identity infrastructure that requires specialized migration

As identity becomes increasingly central to digital business, the ability to scale efficiently, maintain high availability, and control costs will become even more critical. Avatier’s container-based approach represents the future of cloud identity management, providing the agility, efficiency, and flexibility that modern enterprises need.

For organizations ready to embrace the next generation of identity management, Avatier’s Identity Anywhere solution offers a compelling alternative to traditional cloud IAM platforms like ForgeRock, with tangible benefits in scalability, cost efficiency, and operational agility.

Try Avatier today