IAM Journeys

What it is:

IAM Journeys refer to the orchestrated authentication and authorization flows that guide users through identity-related processes such as login, registration, multi-factor authentication (MFA), password reset, and transaction approval. Modern IAM platforms like Ping Identity, Keycloak, and Entra ID allow these journeys to be customized using drag-and-drop orchestration tools, adaptive policies, and integration nodes. They form the user-facing layer of both CIAM and workforce IAM implementations.

Why it matters:

Well-designed IAM Journeys are critical for balancing security, compliance, and user experience. Poorly designed flows introduce friction and abandonment, while weakly secured ones expose organizations to fraud and breaches. For regulated industries like banking, fintech, and insurance, IAM Journeys ensure compliance with PSD2 SCA, MAS TRM, and PCI DSS by embedding strong authentication (FIDO2, eKYC, adaptive MFA) directly into user interactions. They are also a key enabler of Zero Trust and Adaptive Security models.

How it works:

• Orchestration Layers: IAM Journeys are built using orchestration engines that integrate policy engines, authentication methods, and contextual risk analysis.

• Adaptive Flows: Real-time risk signals (from PingOne Protect, device posture, behavioral analytics) are used to modify the journey dynamically—e.g., skipping MFA for low-risk users or triggering step-up authentication for high-risk actions.

• Customer & Workforce Use Cases: For customers, journeys handle onboarding (eKYC), password-less login (FIDO2), and secure transactions. For workforce, they manage SSO, adaptive access, and privileged account protection.

• Integration Points: IAM Journeys tie into RBAC, ABAC, fraud detection, and Zero-Downtime IAM infrastructures, ensuring seamless, secure, and scalable identity operations.