Ping Identity review

Ping Identity is an enterprise-focused provider of the namesake platform dedicated to identity management for one’s customers and workforce. The company hopes to deliver a balance between advanced security features running on the identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) model and the general user experience and accessibility.

For the companies that run a transnational business, supporting a balanced identity and user management across numerous sites is of paramount importance. To them, Ping Identity offers an identity-focused Zero Trust solution that supports personalization, simplified operations, and easy on-premise and cloud deployments with a centralized level of control.

How does this work in practice? Read on to find out in our review.

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 Ping Identity security features 

In a way, the Ping Identity platform is a security puzzle you can assemble yourself and tailor to your needs. This is why, despite having a core model intact across the package, your mileage may vary when comparing your Ping Identity solution with that of your business partner.

PingOne for Enterprises, for example, is a cloud-based service that comes with single sign-on authentication that is customizable with a range of access policies.

Next, you have PingOne for Customers which, as its name implies, is used for managing your consumers’ identities, including those who sign up with their Google or social media accounts. If you are managing multiple customers in a sales-heavy environment, give this one a whirl.

PingID supports multi-factor authentication and identity management features that allow you to turn your phone into a mobile credential with the help of a dedicated app. At the same time, you can define multiple authentication policies for easier management.

The dynamic authorization feature allows you to fine-tune these policies based on various scenarios. An additional layer of protection is the fraud detection function that covers all of your network and mobile channels and helps you identify attempts at frauds in real time.

PingCloud will run your security via a private cloud, combined with control options such as data isolation for corporate identities. PingFederate can be integrated with PingCloud and is primarily used for handling single sign-on authentication schemes for on-premise deployments. Similar to PingID, it also comes with the support for creating multiple authentication policies.  

All of this means that you are free to combine any of these options into a single solution to scale with your evolving needs and meet the existing ones. If you, for example, feel that the single sign-on authentication from the PingOne for Enterprise package no longer gets the job done for you, feel free to combine it with PingID (multi-factor authentication) and step up your security game.

While this prospect may keep less tech-proficient users at bay, it’s still a worthy brand of flexibility once you decide to invest at least some time into learning the ropes. Otherwise, the provider offers an excellent all-in-one option with all security features included (see below).

Management features 

PingCentral is the central hub for all those who want to manage every operational aspect of their brand new ID management system. It comes with an array of self-service and management features, tools for monitoring workflows and configurations. The goal is to ensure uniformity across numerous deployments and we are glad to report that Ping Identity is delivering the goods in this segment.

The package comes with a set of auditing features that allow you to keep a watchful eye over what happens with your system, including the workflows and authorization granting procedures. 

Authentication for cloud applications is relatively simple, as it mostly takes a search through an app catalog and the assignment of access rights to individual groups. Business applications are then received via dedicated SSO portals for individual groups.

PingCental also supports delegation and self-service application requests, all of which are made part of the Workforce 360 bundle which combines PingOne for Enterprise, PingID, PingFederate, and PingCentral in a single package.

You can tailor your authentication policies based on the requirements of various scenarios, such as those involving the provision of access to corporate assets both on the managed devices and those used as part of a corporate BYOD policy.

The Directory feature allows you to manage the profiles and identities of your users and it allows for easy scaling back in the backward and forward direction. There is also a Personal Identity function that allows users to share and manage their own personal information.

Finally, the Orchestration feature helps you integrate all of your workflows with the identity vendors of your choice.

Ping Identity interface 

PingCentral’s interface is easy on the eye and brain from first sight, with the central dashboard containing separate interfaces for managing your configured services. Dedicated pages allow you to manage various properties of your security system, from the environment features and alerts to auditing. Also, separate dedicated dashboards help you manage multi-factor authentications and risks.

PingCentral is the hub that allows you to assign and manage your users and this process is made simpler thanks to the intuitive placement of tools. In addition to a set of templates to help you find your way more easily, it is super easy to add applications from other Ping services and assign them owners to be managed.

Pricing 

As explained above, the PingOne Workforce360 bundle is your safest bet as it combines PingOne for Enterprise, PingFederate, PingID, and PingCentral in a single package at a sufficiently attractive $5 per user per month.

There is also an option to get in touch with the professionals from Ping Identity to help you come up with a custom plan based on your specific needs. No trial or free plan is supported, which is clearly a minus in an otherwise decent package.

Final verdict 

Best imagined as a security puzzle you can complete at your own pace, Ping Identity is a robust solution in which a range of options allows you to securely manage multiple identities of both your customers and employees. The all-in-one package called Workforce360 comes with a powerful set of features, while the custom solution building is best left out to the users with more technical expertise. The entry fee is not prohibitively high, so you’d do well to give this one a try despite the absence of a free plan or a trial option. 

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