In a world where digital identity has become increasingly complex, finding the right solution for your customer identity and access management (CIAM) needs is more critical than ever.
A few weeks ago, we hosted a webinar featuring Mark Van Oppen, Chief Revenue Officer, and Zoe Farrell, Solutions Engineer, who shared insights on how FusionAuth’s unique approach addresses modern identity challenges.
The Evolution of Customer Identity
Mark began by highlighting the dramatic shift in user identity management over the past decade. “If you can think back just as a consumer 10 years ago, it was not necessarily ubiquitous that you were prompted to create an account every time you interacted with anything,” he noted.
Fast forward to today, when a user account is essential for nearly every digital interaction, from online shopping to paying utility bills.
This transformation has fundamentally changed the requirements for identity solutions. What was once a relatively simple problem has evolved into something more critical and complex, especially with the introduction of data sovereignty laws and the increasing importance of user tracking.
The Three Traditional Approaches to CIAM
Van Oppen outlined three conventional paths organizations typically take when solving identity challenges:
Multi-tenant SaaS: The “seat in a stadium” experience with one-size-fits-all deployment, offering limited control over updates and maintenance windows.
DIY Solutions: Providing complete control but burdening organizations with the operational overhead of staying current with rapidly evolving security standards and technologies.
Legacy CIAM Solutions: Heavy, difficult-to-implement systems that struggle to keep pace with modern application demands.
While each approach has merit, Mark emphasized that they all miss the mark for today’s requirements.
The FusionAuth Difference: Dedicated CIAM
FusionAuth takes a different approach by offering a dedicated copy of a full-featured CIAM product for each customer. As Mark explained, “we think that a dedicated copy of a full featured CIAM product that can be consumed in a hosted model or run locally… is the right way to solve this problem.”
This dedicated approach delivers several key advantages:
- Flexibility in deployment: Whether hosted or on-premises, each instance can be tailored to specific needs.
- Control over updates: Organizations determine when and how to update their authentication system.
- Regional data compliance: The ability to store user data in specific jurisdictions to meet regulatory requirements.
- Scalability: Systems can scale horizontally to accommodate seasonal traffic patterns or spikes.
Auth Should Be As Local As Your Databases
One of the most compelling arguments Mark made focused on system proximity: “We really believe that auth should be as local as your databases.”
The teams responsible for application delivery must have appropriate control over their auth systems. This allows for parallel development, testing, and staging environments that match the rest of their infrastructure.
For FusionAuth, this approach is about more than just technical architecture. It’s about transparency and partnership. Mark stated “we also think that it’s not the right thing to take in-house; it’s too critical, too high risk, and too far afield from what makes your business move forward… so let us be an extension of your team solving this non-optional problem.”
See the Full Demo
The webinar continued with a comprehensive demonstration of FusionAuth’s capabilities by Zoe Farrell, showcasing:
- a high-level technical overview of FusionAuth’s features and benefits
- an exploration of tenant management for multi-application scenarios
- an example integration with social identity providers like LinkedIn
- a q&a session with the audience
- and more
Want to see the complete demo and learn more about how FusionAuth can address your specific identity challenges? Register for the on-demand webinar.
Why Modern Auth Matters
As digital identity requirements continue to evolve, having a solution that provides both modern capabilities and engineering and operational team control is important. FusionAuth’s dedicated approach gives organizations the best of both worlds: a sophisticated, up-to-date auth system fully aligned with your development practices, deployment models, and business needs.
Whether you’re looking to streamline authentication for your customers, meet complex compliance requirements, or gain more control over your identity infrastructure, FusionAuth offers a compelling alternative to traditional CIAM approaches.
Check out the on-demand webinar today to see how FusionAuth can transform your approach to customer identity and access management in 2025 and beyond.
