Avatier vs Ping Identity

Choosing a single sign-on (SSO) software solution for your company is tough. One way to simplify the process is to build a shortlist of solutions. For example, you might compare Avatier vs. Ping Identity. To support you in making the right choice, let’s consider how these two products compare. Each one has its strengths and unique features. Naturally, we are proud of Identity Anywhere and the rest of our products. However, Ping Identity is also making a valuable contribution to the market.

Avatier vs. Ping Identity: How We Compare The Single Sign-On Software Solutions

A full review comparing every feature may be ideal, but that level of evaluation doesn’t make sense at this stage. After all, you are probably looking for a different answer. Should I reach out to Avatier and Ping Identity to discuss my needs or look elsewhere?

To help you answer that question, you will find a comparison looking at a few key features and related business factors. Your specific selection criteria may vary depending on your IT security strategy and staff capabilities. However, the factors explained below are an excellent starting point.

1. Avatier vs. Ping Identity: Which Has The Most Robust Multi-Factor Authentication Support?

Also known as two-factor authentication, MFA support is a meaningful way to increase security. If an SSO solution fails to support MFA, you are likely to end up with increased security risk.

For multi-factor authentication (MFA), Avatier has developed significant capabilities. Options include a one-time password by email, one-time password by SMS, RSA and access by phone. To provide further flexibility, Avatier also integrates with MFA vendors and standards like FIDO2 and DUO Security. That means you have plenty of choices to successfully implement MFA. Finally, Avatier includes support for multiple biometric authentication options such as biometric face (i.e. facial recognition), biometric voice (i.e. voice identification) and biometric print (i.e. fingerprint scanning). 

For Ping Identity, there is a different approach to multi-factor authentication. The product’s MFA solution provides support for smartphones, YubiKeys and one-time passcodes. However, Ping Identity currently offers less biometric authentication support.

If you are seeking to achieve an industry-leading multi-factor authentication (MFA) program enhanced by biometrics, Avatier is the leading choice.

3. Ping Identity vs. Avatier: Language Support

In the past, only the largest corporations had offices around the world. That’s changed. Today, even startups have offices in multiple countries. That means you need to provide local language support to your employees. For example, you might have a head office in the USA with employees in Latin America requiring support in Spanish and Portuguese.

In order to support global companies, Avatier currently provides support for over twenty-five languages. Today, you can use Avatier products in Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Offering this level of language support to your employees and contractors for a vital function like access management shows you are committed to engaging with them.

Ping Identity offers multi language support. As of January 2020, approximately thirteen languages are supported. There is some common ground such as English and Spanish. However, a much smaller share of the world population is covered by Ping at the time of this writing compared to Avatier. As the workforce becomes more global, that limited language support may become a more significant problem for your company.. 

Before you select an identity and access management solution, reach out to your human resources department. If you operate with a global presence of employees, consultants and suppliers, you may be better served by choosing Avatier’s robust multi-language support.

4. Ping Identity vs Avatier: Password Management

When you implement a single sign-on (SSO) solution, passwords become much more critical. That’s why Avatier has published articles to help you improve password training for employees. Your SSO solution needs to align with your password policy. Further, you can enhance password controls by using Avatier’s dedicated password tool: Password Management. With forced enrollment, Password Station is a great choice to ensure comprehensive coverage of your organization.

In contrast, Ping Identity does not have a specific password management solution. Instead, the company offers an access management tool called PingAccess. This tool does offer some benefits, like access controls over URLs. However, it may not be sufficient for companies seeking to tighten password management.

Optimizing identity management without covering password management is likely to lead to gaps. For an integrated solution that covers both identity issues and passwords, Avatier is a smart choice. 

5. Avatier vs Ping Identity: What About Self-Service Options For Your End Users? 

Every year, your IT department gets more and more work. You need to provide support to existing software and applications. At the same time, senior management is demanding IT come to the table with new ideas and innovation. Therefore, it is important to look for an identity and access management solution with self-serve support. That way, your end users will be able to get their access requests handled with ease.

Ping Identity currently does not offer “Self-Service Access Request.” That means you are more reliant on the IT department or another department to facilitate such requests. For overworked IT staff, this centralized approach means a heavier administrative workload. 

With Avatier, you can empower employees with a 24/7 specialized IT chatbot called Apollo. With this solution, your employees can instantly request password reset requests and other changes through a chatbot whenever they need it. They are no longer required to wait on hold to obtain assistance from the help desk. Apollo uses a “narrow band artificial intelligence” methodology to deliver faster service to your employees.

What You Need To Do NextCreating a shortlist of single sign-on (SSO) solutions is a good step. However, merely examining different options in the market will not improve your security. You need to take action! Ultimately, you need to secure the budget and other resources to implement a solution. For example, point out the high cost of manually fulfilling password reset requests through a help desk. To guide you through that step, read our guide on how to get your SSO software funded with a business case.