Legacy vs. Modern IAM: What to Know
As identity becomes the front line of security and user experience, organizations are reevaluating outdated identity and access management (IAM) systems. This comparison guide highlights key differences between legacy IAM approaches and modern solutions. Use it to assess where your current identity provider (idP) stands and identify opportunities to improve agility, security, and trust across your workforce, customer, B2B/partner, and emerging agentic AI identity experiences.
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Legacy IAM
Modern IAM (Ping Identity)
01
On-premises only
Cloud-ready, hybrid, and multi-cloud support
02
Siloed authentication systems
Unified access with centralized identity orchestration
03
Manual provisioning
Automated lifecycle management with intelligent workflows
04
Static passwords
Passwordless and multi-factor authentication (MFA) like biometrics, authenticators, and FIDO passkeys
05
Poor UX
Seamless SSO and modern UX for employees, customers, partners, and AI agents across channels
06
High IT Overhead
Low-code/no-code tools to empower IT and business users
07
One-size-fits-all policies
Fine-grained, context-aware access and authorization policies driven by a runtime identity layer that continuously adapts to real-time risk
08
Difficult third-party integration
Open standards and API-first identity services that work with any idP app, and data source
09
Hard-coded logic and brittle flows
Visual orchestration to flexibly connect identity, security, and fraud services across idPs, apps, and channels
10
Lacking crucial verification capabilities
Verified Trust approach with reusable credentials, biometrics, and trusted data sources at key moments in the user journey