# idaas

Source: https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/idaas/
Last updated: 2026-10-17
License: content by Start with Identity. Cite the source URL.

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Identity as a Service (IDaaS) is identity and access management delivered from the cloud as a subscription: the provider runs the directory, single sign-on, MFA, and user provisioning, and you consume them over standard protocols such as [SAML](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/saml/), [OpenID Connect](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/oidc/), and [SCIM](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/scim/) instead of operating identity servers yourself.

IDaaS is a delivery model, not a separate discipline. The capabilities match on-premises IAM; what moves to the provider is patching, scaling, and availability, while configuration, access policy, and integration stay your responsibility. Most workforce identity platforms, such as [Okta](https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/iam/okta/) and [Microsoft Entra ID](https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/iam/microsoft-entra/), are IDaaS, and most [CIAM](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/ciam/) platforms are delivered the same way for customer-facing apps. The trade-off is concentration: a single IDaaS tenant fronts every application, so its admin accounts and session tokens become the highest-value targets in the estate.

See also: [what is IDaaS](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/what-is-idaas/), [what is workforce identity](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/what-is-workforce-identity/), [workforce identity](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/workforce-identity/), [SSO](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/sso/), [IAM platforms compared](https://startwithidentity.com/rankings/best-iam-platforms/)