What is 'Authentication as a Service'

Authentication as a service (AaaS) treats authentication as a whole meaning that all aspects of user and device identity verification are combined into a unit of work. By doing so the challenges of authentication are reduced to authorization, identity management, etc.

Historically, authentication was divided into individual parts, a device part, a knowledge entry part, and a biometric part. These are applied with scant attention to details or uniformity. Sometimes a single part is used, while at others multiple parts are involved. When multiple parts are used, they are often not independent and are separated by both space and time regarding input and verification. Times have changed and, in the process, have obsoleted the piecemeal approach to authentication.

MFA is no longer optional for most organizations. While not explicitly required by HIPAA, its use falls under the technical safeguards category and is recommended by HHS. PCI DSS has evolved and now requires MFA for all access to the cardholder data environment (CDE), regardless of the user’s role or location. Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) at levels 2 and 3 requires MFA. As of January 2025, CMMC compliance is mandatory for organizations that want to do business with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) with expectations that other agencies will soon follow DoD leadership. In each of these cases, MFA is defined as two or more independent factors.

The benefits to organizations using a properly configured and compliant AaaS are uniformity, ease of use, compliance, and cost effectiveness. In summary, the direction of authentication is towards unified, service-based solutions like AaaS, driven by the increasing need for strong security and regulatory compliance.