Maersk Steers Global Trade with a Unified Identity Platform

Objective

Maersk’s bold strategy is to simplify customer supply chains by becoming an end-to-end logistics integrator. This requires providing complex, specialized solutions—such as transporting temperature-controlled dangerous cargo—through a single digital interface. The goal was to build a reusable identity capability that prevents the need to recreate security for every new business product or solution.

Challenge

Operating in 134 countries with a vast network of 76 ports, Maersk faced extreme complexity. They needed to authenticate a diverse range of personas—from individual customers and vendors to machine-to-machine (M2M) traffic—without compromising speed. Customer expectations were rising, requiring Maersk to transition from legacy, manual processes to a high-velocity, cloud-based digital engagement platform.

Solution

Maersk implemented the Ping Identity (formerly ForgeRock) platform as its primary Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) solution. The platform is deeply embedded in the onboarding journey, using ForgeRock tokens to secure M2M traffic and providing tailored access for different partner personas. By leveraging a hybrid IAM approach, Maersk integrated its logistics and inland platforms, ensuring that every digital interaction—whether via mobile app, web portal, or EDI—is authenticated through a single, pivotal source of truth.

Results

The identity platform has become the stitching for Maersk's end-to-end logistics solutions. It has successfully rolled out to authenticate not just customers, but also partners across the entire supply chain. By reusing identity capabilities across business lines, Maersk has increased its agility, allowing them to bring new inland and logistics services to market faster. The solution handles the scale of 15% of global container trade while ensuring secure, automated clearance and tracking for high-stakes cargo.