Topic starter
08/06/2026 4:09 pm
TL;DR: Many organisations still run authentication in silos, even though 70% already have three or more IAM systems in place, according to Axiad’s cited survey. The practical problem is not passwordless in isolation but how to integrate authentication, automation, and usability without creating new gaps.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by Axiad: “Rethinking Enterprise Authentication – A Practitioner Point of View”.
By the numbers:
- 70% of organisations have three or more Identity and Access Management systems already in place.
Key questions
Q: How should IAM teams reduce authentication gaps across multiple systems?
A: Start by mapping where authentication is decided, enforced, and overridden across the environment.
Q: When does adding a new authentication method create more complexity than security?
A: When the new method is deployed without integration into the existing IAM estate.
Q: What are the signs that authentication usability is undermining security?
A: Common signs include repeated user workarounds, high help-desk volume for access issues, inconsistent enrolment or reset behaviour, and local exceptions that bypass standard controls.
Practitioner guidance
- Map every authentication path Inventory where different user groups authenticate, which IAM systems they touch, and where policy decisions diverge across the stack.
- Align certificate and reset workflows Standardise operational handling for expired certificates, access resets, and other recurring authentication events so the same exceptions are not solved differently in each platform.
- Reduce authentication friction Measure where login steps or policy prompts cause users to bypass approved processes, then revise the flow before workarounds become normal behaviour.
Bottom line: The article frames authentication as an integration and governance challenge rather than a standalone technology choice.
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This topic was modified 4 days ago by NHI Mgmt Group
08/06/2026 5:37 pm
Authentication fragmentation is now an IAM governance problem, not a point-solution problem. The article’s strongest signal is that modern authentication cannot be judged in isolation from the rest of the identity estate. Once an enterprise has multiple IAM systems, the control question becomes whether assurance, policy, and exception handling remain consistent across environments. Practitioners should treat authentication as part of identity architecture, not a standalone upgrade.
A question worth separating out:
Q: Should organisations replace legacy IAM systems before modernising authentication?
A: Not necessarily. If the current environment already contains multiple working IAM systems, the more practical path is usually to integrate and standardise control points first. Replacement may be justified in some cases, but modernisation efforts often fail when they ignore the operational reality of heterogeneous identity estates.
👉 Read our full editorial: Rethinking enterprise authentication exposes the IAM integration gap
This post was modified 4 days ago by NHI Mgmt Group