Avatier vs ForgeRock (Ping Identity): Choosing Between Unified IAM and Post-Merger Complexity

Identity and access management (IAM) has become a cornerstone of enterprise security strategy. With Ping Identity’s recent acquisition of ForgeRock for $2.8 billion, organizations are closely examining how this merger impacts their IAM options compared to established unified platforms like Avatier.

This comprehensive analysis explores the critical differences between Avatier’s cohesive approach and the ForgeRock/Ping Identity merger, providing security leaders with essential insights for their IAM decision-making process.

The Changing IAM Landscape: Consolidation vs Integration

The IAM market continues to consolidate, with Gartner predicting that by 2024, 80% of large enterprises will have unintentionally overspent on IAM software by 40% due to underutilized features, redundant capabilities, and integration complexity. This makes the choice between a unified platform like Avatier and a post-acquisition combination like ForgeRock/Ping Identity increasingly significant.

The ForgeRock/Ping Identity Merger: Potential Challenges

Ping Identity’s acquisition of ForgeRock creates a larger IAM vendor but introduces several challenges for customers:

1. Integration Complexity: Merging two distinct IAM platforms with different codebases, architectures, and deployment models requires extensive integration work.
2. Potential Feature Overlap: Both companies offer competing IAM capabilities that will need rationalization, potentially leading to feature deprecation or compromised functionality.
3. Support Fragmentation: Organizations may face disjointed support experiences until teams and knowledge bases are fully integrated.
4. Uncertain Roadmap: Post-acquisition roadmaps often change as products are consolidated, potentially delaying innovations or deprioritizing features important to specific customer segments.

Avatier’s Unified Platform Advantage

In contrast, Avatier’s Identity Anywhere platform delivers a cohesive solution built from the ground up with integration in mind:

1. Unified Architecture: All Avatier modules share a common codebase and architecture, eliminating internal integration challenges.
2. Consistent User Experience: End-users and administrators benefit from a standardized interface across all identity management functions.
3. Streamlined Implementation: Deployment of additional modules requires minimal configuration due to the pre-integrated nature of the platform.
4. Clear Innovation Path: With a single product focus, Avatier’s roadmap remains consistent and customer-driven rather than dictated by merger considerations.

Core Capability Comparison

User Lifecycle Management

ForgeRock/Ping Identity: Both vendors offer user lifecycle management capabilities, but their approaches differ significantly. ForgeRock emphasizes its Identity Management platform for governance and provisioning, while Ping Identity has traditionally focused on access management with lifecycle management as an extension.

The merger may eventually lead to a unified lifecycle management solution, but organizations currently face choices between two different approaches and potentially duplicative functionality.

Avatier: Avatier’s Lifecycle Management provides comprehensive capabilities from a single, unified platform:

• End-to-end user lifecycle orchestration from onboarding through role changes and offboarding
• Automated workflows for approvals and provisioning
• Self-service capabilities for both users and managers
• Pre-built connectors for over 500 applications and systems

According to a recent Forrester study, organizations implementing unified identity lifecycle management solutions like Avatier’s experienced a 40% reduction in onboarding time and a 35% decrease in help desk tickets related to access requests.

Single Sign-On (SSO) and Authentication

ForgeRock/Ping Identity: Both vendors have strong SSO offerings with Ping Identity particularly well-known for its PingFederate product. ForgeRock brings its own authentication capabilities, creating potential overlap and customer confusion about which platform to use for which authentication scenarios.

Avatier: Avatier’s SSO solution provides:

• Seamless integration with existing identity lifecycle management
• Support for all major federation protocols (SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect)
• Flexible authentication methods including adaptive and risk-based authentication
• Mobile-first design with native app support

A key differentiator is Avatier’s containerized architecture, which enables faster deployment and greater flexibility across environments—whether on-premises, cloud, or hybrid.

Access Governance

ForgeRock/Ping Identity: ForgeRock has traditionally focused on governance through its Identity Management platform, while Ping has more recently expanded into this area. The merger creates questions about how these capabilities will be integrated and which platform will become the primary governance solution.

Avatier: Avatier’s Access Governance provides comprehensive capabilities including:

• Automated access certifications and reviews
• Risk-based access analytics and recommendations
• Separation of duties (SoD) enforcement
• Detailed audit trails and compliance reporting

According to an IDC report, organizations implementing unified governance solutions like Avatier’s saw a 65% improvement in audit preparation time and a 45% reduction in compliance-related findings.

Implementation and Integration Realities

Deployment Flexibility

ForgeRock/Ping Identity: Both vendors offer cloud and on-premises options, but the merger creates uncertainty about future deployment models and potential consolidation of offerings.

Avatier: Avatier pioneered Identity-as-a-Container (IDaaC), delivering unprecedented deployment flexibility:

• Containerized architecture for consistent operation across environments
• Microservices-based design for scalability and resilience
• Deployment options including public cloud, private cloud, on-premises, and hybrid
• Consistent security controls regardless of deployment model

This approach has proven particularly valuable for organizations with complex regulatory requirements or multi-cloud strategies.

Integration Ecosystem

ForgeRock/Ping Identity: Both vendors maintain partner ecosystems and connectors, but organizations may face challenges navigating overlapping integrations and determining which platform’s connectors to use for specific applications.

Avatier: Avatier’s integration approach prioritizes:

• Pre-built connectors for over 500 enterprise applications and systems
• Standardized API framework for custom integrations
• Self-service connector configuration for IT teams
• Continuous monitoring of connection health and performance

A recent survey by Enterprise Strategy Group found that 73% of organizations consider pre-built integrations and connector quality a critical factor in IAM selection, an area where unified platforms like Avatier demonstrate significant advantages.

Total Cost of Ownership Considerations

Implementation Costs

ForgeRock/Ping Identity: The complexity of implementing and integrating multiple platforms can significantly increase professional services requirements and extend project timelines.

Avatier: Avatier’s unified platform typically requires:

• 30-40% less implementation time compared to multi-vendor solutions
• Reduced professional services requirements due to consistent architecture
• Simplified training needs with a single interface and administration model
• Lower internal resource requirements for ongoing management

Ongoing Operational Costs

ForgeRock/Ping Identity: Managing multiple platforms post-merger often requires:

• Additional staff with specialized knowledge of each platform
• More complex upgrade processes across multiple products
• Higher support and maintenance costs
• Increased integration monitoring and management

Avatier: Unified platform advantages include:

• Single administration console for all identity functions
• Coordinated updates and upgrades
• Consolidated support and maintenance
• Lower ongoing training costs

According to Gartner, organizations implementing unified IAM platforms like Avatier’s typically realize 25-35% lower total cost of ownership compared to fragmented multi-vendor approaches.

Security and Compliance Implications

Security Posture

ForgeRock/Ping Identity: Multiple platforms can create security gaps at integration points and increase the attack surface. Security teams must maintain expertise across different security models and configurations.

Avatier: A unified platform provides:

• Consistent security controls across all identity functions
• Reduced attack surface with fewer integration points
• Comprehensive audit logging across the entire identity lifecycle
• Simplified security monitoring and management

Regulatory Compliance

ForgeRock/Ping Identity: Meeting compliance requirements across multiple platforms requires:

• More complex evidence gathering for audits
• Potential gaps in compliance coverage at integration points
• Multiple reporting systems to demonstrate compliance

Avatier: Unified compliance advantages include:

• Comprehensive compliance reporting from a single source
• Built-in controls for major regulations including GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, and NIST
• Automated evidence collection for audit purposes
• Consistent policy enforcement across all identity functions

This becomes particularly important for organizations in highly regulated industries like healthcare and finance, where demonstrating comprehensive identity governance is critical.

Making the Right Choice for Your Organization

When evaluating Avatier versus ForgeRock/Ping Identity, security leaders should consider:

1. Strategic Alignment: Does a unified platform or best-of-breed approach better align with your overall security and IT strategy?
2. Resource Capabilities: Does your team have the expertise and bandwidth to manage multiple platforms and their integrations?
3. Total Cost Considerations: Have you accounted for all implementation, integration, and ongoing operational costs?
4. Future Scalability: How will each approach scale with your organization’s growth and changing requirements?
5. Vendor Stability: How might the post-merger integration affect ForgeRock/Ping Identity’s ability to support your needs?

Conclusion: The Case for Unified Identity Management

While the ForgeRock/Ping Identity merger creates a larger IAM vendor, it also introduces significant complexity and uncertainty for customers. Avatier’s unified platform approach offers compelling advantages in implementation speed, operational efficiency, security consistency, and total cost of ownership.

As identity management continues to grow in strategic importance, organizations should carefully evaluate whether a unified platform like Avatier or a post-merger combination like ForgeRock/Ping Identity better aligns with their security objectives and operational realities.

For security leaders focused on maximizing ROI while enhancing their identity security posture, Avatier’s unified approach offers a compelling alternative to the potential complexities of post-merger solutions.

Try Avatier today