IBM Cloud Identity Service vs Microsoft Entra ID comparison

IBM and Microsoft are both solutions in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category. IBM is ranked #30, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7. IBM holds a 0.4% mindshare in IAMS, compared to Microsoft’s 29.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

IBM Cloud Identity Service

Read 3 IBM Cloud Identity Service reviews

215 Views
136 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Entra ID

Read 218 Microsoft Entra ID reviews

11,531 Views
8,440 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

IBM Cloud Identity Service

Microsoft Entra ID

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 2, 2024

Microsoft Entra ID and IBM Cloud Identity Service are identity management products. Microsoft Entra ID leads in integration and security features, while IBM Cloud Identity Service is recognized for advanced analytics and identity governance.

Features:Microsoft Entra ID includes seamless integration with Microsoft ecosystems, multi-factor authentication, and access auditing. IBM Cloud Identity Service has robust identity governance, extensive analytics, and adaptive access capabilities. Microsoft Entra ID specializes in integrations, and IBM Cloud Identity Service in analytics.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Microsoft Entra ID offers an intuitive deployment process within Microsoft environments, supported by online resources and training. IBM Cloud Identity Service provides a modular deployment approach for complex requirements with reliable support. Microsoft Entra ID is simple; IBM Cloud Identity Service suits complex deployments.

Pricing and ROI:Microsoft Entra ID is competitively priced, with licensing models offering favorable ROI, especially for enterprises integrated with Microsoft. IBM Cloud Identity Service has higher setup costs but provides significant ROI due to enhanced analytics and management. Microsoft Entra ID is cost-effective for integration-focused businesses, whereas IBM offers better returns for analytics and governance.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Cloud Identity Service vs. Microsoft Entra ID Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Identity Service vs. Microsoft Entra ID

January 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 838,713 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM Cloud Identity Service

Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

30th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Entra ID

Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

218

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (1st), Authentication Systems (1st), Identity Management (IM) (1st), Access Management (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of IBM Cloud Identity Service is 0.4%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Entra ID is 29.3%, up from 29.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

Featured Reviews

Baba Sally

Head of Advisory at a tech company with 501-1,000 employees

All of its features are valuable but the support needs improvement

It is multiple identity and access management, so all of the applications are valuable. It's also part of the automated process The support needs improvement. I have been using IBM Cloud Identity Service for the last five years. It is stable. It is scalable. We have 5,000 users using this…

Read full review

Aaron Liang

System engineer at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees

Has significantly improved secure access to applications and resources in our environment

Microsoft Entra ID has helped by simplifying our management of permissions for APIs. We are not directly exposing credentials, as we use tokens instead. It has made management easier and more secure, especially in a multi-user environment. The implementation of Microsoft Entra ID significantly improved secure access to applications and resources in our environment, primarily through the widespread use of single-sign-on. Managing API permissions became much easier, as application registration often involves calling an API to utilize services without directly exposing credentials, relying instead on token-based authentication. This streamlined approach benefits end-users by simplifying access while remaining transparent to them. Ultimately, my role focuses on ensuring a smooth and user-friendly experience, even if the underlying technology remains unseen by the end-users. Our company strongly emphasizes passwordless authentication, primarily through device-bound passkeys in Microsoft Authenticator. While administrators with high-privileged accounts utilize YubiKeys and passwords for tasks like accessing Microsoft Graph, we are actively transitioning all other users towards passwordless methods such as Windows Hello biometrics. This approach streamlines authentication and enhances security. Though initial deployment in 2022 presented challenges due to hardware limitations and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the technology has significantly improved and provides a simple and effective user experience.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It is stable. We can automate many of our daily operations with it, and we don't have to manage many things manually."

"One of the most valuable features of IBM Cloud Identity Service is that it delivers integrations with the commercial SaaS software that's available."

"It is multiple identity and access management, so all of the applications are valuable. It's also part of the automated process."

"The security and infrastructure management features are the most valuable ones for us."

"Azure Active Directory provides us with identity-based authentication, which secures access at the user level and also integrates with conditional access policies and multi-factor authentication helping to increase the identity security for that person. So, the hacking and leaking of passwords is a secondary problem because you will not authenticate a person with one factor. There is a second factor of authentication available to increase the security premise for your company."

"The best feature is the single sign-on provision for the various type of users."

"I like how Entra allows you to upload a CSV file with user details for bulk user creation. This is useful for automation. Entra has made it easy to manage identity and access by integrating with all Microsoft services. Everything is managed in a single place, eliminating the need for another application."

"The solution has a variety of tools. Two of the most valuable features are the ability to create users and to replicate the user account from on-premise to the cloud."

"I like the way it communicates to the cloud."

"The most valuable features in Active Directory are the password writeback product and the MDM technology."

"The solution offers business to business and client to business support."

More Microsoft Entra ID pros

Cons

"The initial setup is complex, it's not straightforward. It takes months because it's not straightforward."

"Everything can be more stable and secure. There could also be more account features. I would like to be able to do more things through it to manage users' accounts."

"IBM Cloud Identity Service is going in the right direction with the product. They need to keep building out the integrations and having the library is very critical."

"Microsoft Entra ID could benefit from more fine-tuned rights. It is necessary to prevent granting an application or user broad access rights."

"Microsoft support has some room for improvement. I avoid contacting them because it can be time-consuming. They don't necessarily find the solution, but you have to be on call for them to connect and do things on your system remotely. You have to schedule a time to meet with them, and it's somewhat inconvenient."

"My problem with Azure AD is that it's designed for medium to large systems, and we're not that large."

"The ease of use regarding finding audit information for users could also be improved."

"I would like to dive into some of the things that we saw today around the workflows at this Microsoft event. I cannot say that they need to make it better because I do not have much experience with it, but something that is always applicable to Microsoft is that they need to be able to integrate with their competitors. If you look at IDP, they do not integrate with Okta."

"Adding a new account can be tricky."

"Maybe there could be a dashboard view for Active Directory with some pie or bar charts on who is logged in, who is not logged in, and on the activity of each user for the past few days: whether they're active or not active."

"The management interface has some areas that need improvement."

More Microsoft Entra ID cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is expensive for non-enterprise companies. IBM's always going to be a little more expensive, you're going to be paying a premium. However, depending on the organization's needs, there's probably a benefit there to do even with the price being the way it is."

"Azure AD comes with Office 365, so we are just paying for the Office 365 license."

"The licensing model makes it difficult to understand the real cost of the solution, especially because it changes all the time."

"We are currently on the education plan, so the price is slightly better than the development plan."

"We have various levels of their licensing, which includes users on different levels of their enterprise offering."

"Azure AD has four licensing options- Free, Office 365 apps, Premium P1, and Premium P2. The free option has a limited number of identities and features, and the Office 365 version comes included in several Office 365 subscriptions. With the P1 and P2 licenses, we get all the freeware features plus additional security features, but these come at a higher price. The base price for P1 and P2 is $6 and $9 per user per month, respectively."

"It's pretty good. We're using the native features. It's bundled with our Office 365 licenses. We aren't paying anything extra for Azure Active Directory. It's pretty good for us because it's complementary to Office 365. We're only paying for Office 365."

"The solution can be cheaper."

"It is in line. Because we are so early, we have not had to come back on a cycle where we are having to negotiate again."

More Microsoft Entra ID pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Educational Organization

33%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

How does Duo Security compare with Microsoft Authenticator?

We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier. Duo Security is easy to configure a...

See all answers

What do you like most about Azure Active Directory?

It is very simple. The Active Directory functions are very easy for us. Its integration with anything is very easy. We can easily do third-party multifactor authentication.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Active Directory?

We are an enterprise customer with an enterprise agreement in place with many of our partner companies, so there are no special questions or issues about pricing, setup cost, or licensing.

See all answers

Comparisons

IBM Security Verify Access vs IBM Cloud Identity Service

Compared 100% of the time

More IBM Cloud Identity Service Competitors

Microsoft Intune vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 11% of the time

Google Cloud Identity vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 10% of the time

Okta Workforce Identity vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 9% of the time

Auth0 vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 6% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Entra ID Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

January 2025

Download IBM Cloud Identity Service product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra ID

February 2025

Download Microsoft Entra ID product report

Also Known As

No data available

Azure AD, Azure Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Authenticator

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

IBM

Microsoft

Overview

Whether your applications are custom, your business processes complex, or you're looking for world-class professional services and project management to coordinate each step of your project, IBM Cloud Identity Service is uniquely suited to serve organizations with out-of-the box challenges.

IBM Cloud Identity Service can be designed to help with the full lifecycle of implementation and operations, including discovery, planning, project management, integration engineering and more – expertly delivered by IBM's global staff of identity professionals.

IBM

Microsoft Entra ID is used for extending on-premises Active Directory to the cloud, managing application access, enabling multi-factor authentication, and single sign-on. It facilitates policy enforcement and secure access, ensuring centralized identity management across cloud and on-premises resources.

Organizations utilize Microsoft Entra ID for robust user and group management, identity synchronization, and conditional access. Its seamless integration with third-party apps, scalability, and support for remote work make it a preferred choice. The admin center streamlines identity and access tasks, enhancing efficiency and security with features like privileged identity management and audit logs.

What are the key features of Microsoft Entra ID?

Single Sign-On: Simplifies user access to multiple applications with one login.
Multifactor Authentication: Enhances security by requiring additional verification.
Conditional Access: Establishes policies that determine how users' access cloud apps.
Integration: Easily integrates with various third-party applications.
User Identity Protection: Safeguards user identities from threats.
Privileged Identity Management: Manages elevated access to sensitive resources.
Audit Logs: Provides thorough activity logs for oversight and compliance.

What benefits should users look for in Microsoft Entra ID reviews?

Enhanced Security: Offers strong multifactor authentication and identity protection.
Administrative Efficiency: Simplifies identity and access management tasks.
Scalability: Supports growing user bases and remote work environments.
Integration Capabilities: Compatible with numerous third-party applications.
User-Friendly Interface: Makes managing user identities straightforward.

Microsoft Entra ID implementation varies across industries. Tech firms leverage it for secure, scalable access management, while healthcare organizations utilize its identity protection features to safeguard patient data. Educational institutions adopt Entra ID for streamlined user management and policy enforcement, ensuring secure access for students and staff across on-premises and cloud resources.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Baxter Healthcare,

Microsoft Entre ID is trusted by companies of all sizes and industries including Walmart, Zscaler, Uniper, Amtrak, monday.com, and more.

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Identity Service vs. Microsoft Entra ID

January 2025

Free Report: IBM Cloud Identity Service vs. Microsoft Entra ID

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cloud Identity Service vs. Microsoft Entra ID and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our IBM Cloud Identity Service vs. Microsoft Entra ID report.

See our list of best Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) vendors.

We monitor all Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.