What is CIAM and why does It matter?

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) is increasingly crucial as businesses aim to deliver secure and seamless digital experiences while protecting against security breaches and complying with evolving regulations like GDPR and CCPA. CIAM, a specialized branch of Identity and Access Management, focuses on managing external users such as customers and vendors, offering multifaceted benefits like flexible authentication, zero-trust security principles, and federated identity management. Open-source CIAM platforms like Ory provide businesses with the flexibility to customize authentication, scale globally, and ensure compliance without vendor lock-in, offering both self-hosted and managed deployment options. Ory's solutions support passwordless authentication, social logins, and omnichannel identity management, enhancing user convenience while maintaining robust security. The platform also includes advanced features like role-based and attribute-based access control and a Zanzibar-based permission system for precise, real-time authorization. As businesses face challenges in balancing security, scalability, and user experience, Ory's open-source CIAM offers a flexible approach to future-proof customer identity strategies.