ForgeRock (PingIdentity) 18-Month Implementation vs Avatier’s 14-Day Deployment: Why Time-to-Value Matters in IAM

The speed at which organizations can implement critical security infrastructure like identity and access management (IAM) solutions has become a competitive advantage. With cybersecurity threats evolving daily, long implementation timelines represent not just delays in operational efficiency but extended periods of heightened vulnerability.

The stark contrast between ForgeRock’s (now part of PingIdentity following their 2023 acquisition) typical 18-month implementation timeline and Avatier’s 14-day deployment presents a compelling case study in IAM efficiency and business impact. Let’s explore why this difference matters and how it affects your organization’s security posture, bottom line, and competitive advantage.

The True Cost of Extended IAM Implementations

ForgeRock implementations frequently span 12-18 months from contract signing to full deployment. This extended timeline carries significant hidden costs beyond the obvious:

Direct Financial Impact:

• Extended consulting costs typically reaching $150,000-$250,000 for mid-sized enterprises
• Ongoing internal IT resource allocation, often requiring 2-3 full-time staff members dedicated to the implementation
• Delayed ROI realization, with benefits of the IAM solution postponed by over a year

According to a Ponemon Institute study, the average cost of identity-related breaches reaches $4.24 million per incident. Each month of delayed implementation represents continued exposure to these risks.

Operational Consequences:

• Prolonged reliance on legacy systems with known vulnerabilities
• Continued inefficient manual user provisioning processes
• Extended use of non-compliant access management systems
• Delayed implementation of zero-trust architecture

The industry data speaks volumes. According to Gartner, organizations that accelerate IAM deployments reduce security incidents by 28% and experience 33% higher user satisfaction with identity processes.

Avatier’s Identity Anywhere: Redefining Implementation Timelines

In sharp contrast to ForgeRock’s extended implementation model, Avatier’s Identity Anywhere Lifecycle Management platform consistently demonstrates rapid deployment capabilities, with most organizations achieving functional implementation within just two weeks.

Key Acceleration Factors:

1. Containerized Architecture: Avatier’s industry-first Identity-as-a-Container (IDaaC) technology enables plug-and-play deployment across diverse environments, eliminating the complex integration challenges typical of ForgeRock implementations.
2. Pre-configured Connectors: With over 500+ pre-built application connectors ready for immediate use, organizations avoid the months of custom connector development common in ForgeRock deployments.
3. Self-Service Implementation: Avatier’s intuitive design enables IT teams to manage much of the implementation independently, reducing reliance on expensive consultants and extended professional services engagements.
4. No-Code Workflow Design: While ForgeRock implementations typically involve significant custom coding, Avatier’s visual workflow designers allow business analysts to create and modify processes without developer involvement.

A senior IT director at a Fortune 500 financial services firm who recently switched from ForgeRock to Avatier noted: “We spent 14 months and over $200,000 on our ForgeRock implementation that was still facing significant challenges. With Avatier, we were operational in 11 days, and achieved full functionality in under a month.”

The Business Impact: Examining the 17-Month Advantage

The difference between an 18-month and 14-day implementation timeline isn’t merely about patience—it fundamentally transforms the business case for IAM. Let’s examine the tangible impacts:

1. Accelerated Security Posture Enhancement

ForgeRock Timeline Impact:

• Extended vulnerability window while implementation progresses
• Phased security improvements over 1.5 years
• Security team distracted by implementation rather than threat response

Avatier Advantage:

• Immediate implementation of multifactor authentication integration
• Rapid elimination of excessive access privileges
• Quick establishment of automated access reviews
• Prompt deployment of zero-trust principles

A CISO at a healthcare provider implementing Avatier reported: “We eliminated over 5,000 instances of excessive access rights within the first month post-implementation—exposures that would have persisted for over a year in our previous ForgeRock timeline.”

2. Compliance Acceleration and Risk Reduction

Organizations facing regulatory deadlines cannot afford 18-month implementation windows. Avatier’s rapid deployment model transforms compliance from a prolonged project to a swift achievement.

ForgeRock Compliance Timeline:

• Extended periods of documented non-compliance during implementation
• Multiple interim audits during partial implementation
• Potential for regulatory penalties during the extended implementation window

Avatier Compliance Acceleration:

• Rapid implementation of access governance controls
• Swift establishment of segregation of duties enforcement
• Immediate automated audit trail creation
• Quick deployment of compliant approval workflows

For regulated industries, this difference is particularly profound. Healthcare organizations must meet HIPAA requirements, financial services firms face SOX compliance, and government contractors must satisfy FISMA standards—all achievable within weeks rather than years with Avatier.

3. Dramatic TCO Differences

The total cost of ownership gap between ForgeRock and Avatier grows substantially when accounting for implementation timelines:

ForgeRock TCO Factors:

• Extended professional services engagements ($150,000-$250,000)
• 18 months of internal IT resources dedicated to implementation
• Delayed ROI realization
• Continued costs of manual identity processes during implementation
• Potential breach costs during extended implementation window

Avatier TCO Advantages:

• Minimal professional services requirements
• Rapid redeployment of IT staff to other priorities
• Near-immediate ROI realization
• Swift elimination of manual identity management costs
• Reduced security risk exposure period

One mid-sized manufacturing organization calculated their TCO difference at $345,000 when comparing their previous ForgeRock implementation to their recent Avatier deployment, representing a 47% reduction in total investment while achieving superior functionality.

Real-World Implementation Comparison

Let’s examine a side-by-side comparison of actual implementation experiences:

Implementation Phase	ForgeRock Timeline	Avatier Timeline
Initial Deployment	2-3 months	1-2 days
Core Identity Workflows	4-6 months	3-7 days
Application Integrations	8-12 months	7-14 days
Governance & Compliance Features	12-18 months	14-30 days
Complete Solution with Customizations	18+ months	30-60 days

A director of IT security at a global services organization summarized their experience: “ForgeRock’s complexity required us to build a dedicated team and project plan spanning multiple fiscal years. With Avatier, we were operational before our next monthly security review.”

Why Does ForgeRock Take So Long?

Understanding the reasons behind ForgeRock’s extended implementation timeline helps clarify the fundamental differences in approach:

1. Architectural Complexity: ForgeRock’s platform requires significant custom integration work, infrastructure configuration, and environment preparation.
2. Custom Coding Requirements: Most ForgeRock implementations involve substantial Java development for customizations, workflows, and integrations.
3. Consultant Dependency: ForgeRock deployments typically require specialized consultants throughout the implementation process.
4. Sequential Implementation Approach: ForgeRock implementations generally follow a linear, waterfall methodology where each component must be completed before progressing.
5. Extended Testing Cycles: The complexity of ForgeRock customizations necessitates lengthy QA and testing periods.

In contrast, Avatier’s Identity Management Architecture was designed with rapid deployment as a foundational principle, leveraging containerization, no-code configurations, and parallel implementation capabilities.

Making the Switch: Organizations That Couldn’t Wait 18 Months

Increasingly, organizations midway through problematic ForgeRock implementations are switching to Avatier to accelerate their IAM modernization:

• A Fortune 1000 healthcare provider abandoned their ForgeRock implementation after 7 months and deployed Avatier in just 21 days
• A government agency facing FISMA compliance deadlines switched after 10 months of ForgeRock struggles, achieving compliance with Avatier within their 60-day regulatory timeline
• A global financial services firm transitioned after spending $430,000 on ForgeRock professional services with limited results, completing their Avatier implementation for less than their remaining ForgeRock consulting budget

Conclusion: Time-to-Value as the Critical IAM Metric

In today’s security landscape, extended IAM implementation timelines represent an unacceptable business risk. While ForgeRock continues to require 12-18 month deployment cycles, Avatier’s innovative approach delivers enterprise-grade identity management in days rather than months.

The value proposition extends beyond mere convenience—it directly impacts security posture, compliance status, resource allocation, and bottom-line results. As cyber threats evolve daily, organizations simply cannot afford to spend 18 months implementing foundational security controls.

For CISOs and security leaders evaluating identity management options, implementation timeline should be considered a primary decision factor alongside functionality, as it directly influences both the solution’s ROI and the organization’s security risk exposure during deployment.

In the end, the choice between spending 18 months implementing ForgeRock or 14 days deploying Avatier represents not just a timeline decision, but a fundamental statement about how organizations prioritize security, efficiency, and business agility in their IAM strategy.

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