Abbie Carlson

As a Product Marketing Manager, I'm responsible for communicating the value of Identity for consumer apps as well as focusing on the developer experience. I'm forever curious about how Identity plays a role in our everyday lives as consumers and how a great Customer Identity solution can make or break a business through patron loyalty and retention. 

Outside of work can catch me watching Seattle sports, going to as many concerts as I can or listening to true crime podcasts.

Senior Product Marketing Manager

Learn how CIAM extensibility turns basic identity capabilities into a powerful operational and competitive advantage.

Out of the box, a modern Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) solution should provide:

* **User registration** to create the behind-the-scenes record associated with each user
* **Proper authentication** to establish with confidence that the users logging into accounts are who they say they are, using one or more factors to do so
* **Effective authorization** to provide a user with the appropriate level of access to privileges, resources, applications, etc.)
* **Comprehensive Identity management** to enable customers and administrators to make updates and changes to users’ data and access

These components deliver the basic Identity functionality (e.g., signups, logins, account updates, password resets, etc.) your users need to engage with your apps, web portals, and other digital channels.

However, while many fundamental Customer Identity use cases are common across all manner of organizations, that’s only part of the CIAM story.

![](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4zLAixTnRIBaqPFq55HI7A/efeedd42f5dfebd4876b10123fa3de99/ciam-separator)

## What Does Extensibility Mean, and Why Does It Matter

The literal definition of “extensible” is “able to be extended or stretched.”

In the Customer Identity domain, extensibility is the critical characteristic that enables a CIAM solution to *do more* than performing the minimum functions outlined above, in isolation.

This ability to do more is especially important because, in practice, every organization has:

1. A unique set of technologies and an overall IT environment
2. Unique (and often unforeseen) needs that either extend beyond the Customer Identity fundamentals or at least require that the Identity stack transact with other systems

Let’s quickly explore how extensibility addresses these challenges.

### Extensibility overcomes fragmentation

At the foundational level, technology stacks are typically a mix of best-of-breed software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications and broader enterprise suites. In practice, these components are either poorly integrated or not integrated at all, with the result that they barely deliver to the sum of their parts, let alone to their collective potential.

This technology fragmentation frequently causes (or, to a lesser extent, contributes to) Identity fragmentation, with the organization lacking a central, authoritative, and accurate repository of customer identities and related information.

As a result, businesses struggle with inconsistent user experiences, security vulnerabilities, and operational inefficiencies — all of which make it harder to deliver seamless, secure, and personalized interactions across channels.

An extensible Customer Identity solution can be integrated across an organization’s wider technology stack to establish a single, authoritative record of each customer’s Identity. By doing so, it enables convenient, privacy-respecting, and secure customer experiences while also contributing to compliance and serving as the foundation of customer-centric analytics.

### Extensibility future-proofs Customer Identity

As the organization matures, your Customer Identity stack typically needs to satisfy advanced use cases. More often than not, doing so requires transacting with specialized business systems and third parties to execute complex conditional flows.

For example, building [Identity-powered customer journeys](https://www.okta.com/resources/whitepaper-the-modern-marketers-guide/) could entail:

* Allowing a customer to browse and add items to a cart using a standard login, but then prompting them for multi-factor authentication (MFA) prior to completing the purchase
* Presenting Terms of Service (ToS) and capturing consent during signup through integration with a [consent management system](https://marketplace.auth0.com/categories/consent-management)
* Presenting updated ToS, only as necessary, during a subsequent login
* Exchanging data with [fraud management solutions](https://marketplace.auth0.com/categories/fraud-prevention) to reduce exposure to banking and credit card fraud
* Engaging an [Identity proofing solution](https://marketplace.auth0.com/categories/identity-proofing) to verify a user’s real-world Identity

And this is only scratching the surface!

To put the possibilities (and potential demands) in perspective, consider that the [Auth0 Marketplace](https://marketplace.auth0.com/) includes more than 324 pre-built integrations across 13 different categories. This extensive collection simply wouldn’t exist if not for the real-world needs of our customers, and it speaks to Customer Identity being both a hub and a spoke for so much of what today’s organizations need.

![](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4Qg4oGOVMcUz7islVLUnuO/dc72f7a985f919dc643de96fe4565c41/ciam-separator)

## Possible Versus Practical: Different Forms of Extensibility

So far, we’ve only examined *what extensibility means* and *why extensibility matters* — but that’s only part of the story.

Let’s now look at *how extensibility is achieved and implemented* in the real world.

In theory, the most extensible Customer Identity solution is one custom-coded for your organization. This approach provides complete control over every aspect of your CIAM implementation, and extending it is straightforward—just keep writing and maintaining custom code forever.

However, most organizations don’t have a staff of experienced Identity developers sitting around waiting for a project. For this reason — [and many others](https://auth0.com/resources/whitepapers/build-or-buy) — building your own Customer Identity solution is not practical, which is why countless organizations have come to the conclusion that buying an off-the-shelf Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) solution is the right path (for added context, [KuppingerCole projects CIAM market volume to reach $4.55 billion USD in 2025](https://www.kuppingercole.com/press-release/market-sizing-ciam)). (KuppingerCole, 2023)

There are several mechanisms for implementing extensibility within IDaaS solutions. Ultimately, each of these extensibility options—no-code, low-code, and pro-code—has value, which is why the most comprehensive IDaaS solutions offer all three.

### No-code extensibility

No-code extensibility refers to approaches like point-and-click configuration and filling in a few blanks. Certainly, this option is attractive for its usability — practically anyone can tweak the IDaaS to customize the set of claims being returned to your apps, or attributes like the logo and text displayed during authentication.

With sufficient feature richness and the availability of pre-written integrations (such as those in the [Auth0 Marketplace](https://marketplace.auth0.com/)), it’s even possible to leverage no-code options to integrate the IDaaS with other business systems.

### Low-code extensibility

Through the use of code snippets, low-code extensibility offers more power and flexibility than the no-code approach. Developers will likely have no problems getting up to speed, and even personnel new to coding can quickly become adept due to the fairly well-defined blanks that need to be filled.

The primary drawback of low-code extensibility is that by permitting snippets only for particular needs, this approach imposes some limits on what’s possible. However, an alternative view is that these limits function as guardrails that prevent problems. 

### Pro-code extensibility

Pro-code extensibility delivers the ease of implementation that comes with using a ready-built solution, plus the expressive power and precise control that’s only possible through code — an ideal combination for extending a solution with custom logic.

However, fully leveraging pro-code extensibility requires greater comfort with coding and familiarity with Customer Identity in general.

## Wrapping Up

Customer Identity doesn’t exist in a silo. While it often first arises to address user registration, authentication, authorization, and Identity management, most organizations will soon need to integrate their Identity stack with a range of existing IT and business systems.

Plus, the real world is complex, dynamic, and often unpredictable. Being able to accommodate change and tailor Customer Identity to your unique needs is the difference between CIAM as a necessary component of your application stack and CIAM as an operational and competitive advantage.

Extensibility allows you to implement robust customer identity and access management, including introducing specialized identity functions, and get the most out of the business and IT systems you already have.

Importantly, practical extensibility mechanisms (e.g., no-code, low-code, and pro-code options) allow you to do these things without drawing too heavily upon your developers or creating ongoing maintenance headaches.

This post has intentionally skipped over some of the more technical aspects of the extensibility conversation, but if you’d like to learn more, please take a look at [Customer Identity and the extensibility imperative](https://auth0.com/resources/whitepapers/extensibility-imperative/).


The Extensibility Imperative: Unlock Your CIAM's Full Potential

df6c864847fba9687d962cb80b482764?size=200 avatar

df6c864847fba9687d962cb80b482764?size=200

Martin Gontovnikas, a.k.a Gonto, is a software engineer at heart who moved to the ‘dark side’ and became VP of Marketing at Auth0. He considers himself lucky to have found a way to combine his two passions and apply his engineering thinking model to marketing. Gonto’s analytical thinking is a huge driver of his data-driven approach to marketing strategy and experimental design. He is based in the Bay area, and in his spare time, can be found eating gourmet food at the best new restaurants, visiting every local brewery he can find, or traveling the globe in search of new experiences.

Former SVP of Marketing and Growth at Auth0

Martin Gontovnikas

Developer-Friendly Solution Removes the Complexity of Authentication and Authorization for App Developers

**SEATTLE, Sep 17, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE)** -- [**Auth0**](https://auth0.com), an identity-as-a-service solution, announced today it has secured $2.4 million in seed funds led by Bessemer Venture Partners with participation from K9 Ventures, Portland Seed Fund and NXTP Labs. The company’s service is already in use in 124 countries by more than 8,000 developers and IT managers in both small and large enterprises in the software, financial, media, security and consumer sectors. Some of Auth0’s larger customers include [*Schneider Electric*](http://www.schneider-electric.com/ww/en/), the global specialist in energy management, [*MindJet*](https://www.mindjet.com/), the leading innovation management and collaborative project management platform, [*Allegion*](http://www.allegion.com/corp/en/index.html), the leading provider of security solutions for homes and businesses around the world, and [*Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection*](https://www.bhtp.com/), Berkshire Hathaway's travel insurance arm.

*“We’re a company founded by developers for developers. We created Auth0 because we are identity and security experts that are frustrated with the unnecessary complexity of integrating identity management into apps and APIs,”* said Jon Gelsey, Chief Executive Officer at Auth0. *“Since our launch, we have seen tremendous traction and Bessemer’s investment allows us to leverage its market-leading enterprise security and SaaS expertise to continue to grow the business.”*

Auth0 removes the complexity of authentication and authorization for developers. Instead of spending days or weeks writing complex and unfamiliar code, many identity scenarios can be solved with just a few lines of code to invoke Auth0’s service. Developers can implement highly secure and robust solutions, without requiring deep expertise in the complexities of authentication and authorization.

*“In the same way Twilio democratized access to SMS and voice communications, Auth0 developed an identity service to eliminate the growing complexity of authentication and authorization for developers,”* said David Cowan, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. *“Auth0 has the dream team in authentication security, which is why developers are so quickly adopting their API as the de facto way to do logins."*


The Auth0 solution allows any application or API running on any device, OS or software stack to authenticate with any identity provider. From the simplest app in the store to the most sophisticated enterprise software solution, Auth0 enables individual developers and IT managers to quickly and easily implement complex identity authentication scenarios.

*“We took a strategic, calculated bet on Auth0,”* said James Gardner, SVP of Product at Mindjet. *“By using Auth0's sophisticated identity infrastructure -- rather than building it ourselves -- we were able to assign two, full-time software engineers to developments directly related to Mindjet's core value proposition, which resulted in higher revenue while saving us a great deal of money.”*

The company also announced it has hired Gianpaolo Carraro as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Carraro joins the company from Microsoft where he held executive roles in sales, marketing, and developer evangelism for the past twelve years. Auth0 will use the new funds to hire additional developers and add more features to its service. They will also invest in sales and marketing to build brand awareness and grow its customer base.

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />

Auth0 Identity-as-a-Service Solution Secures $2.4 Million in Early Funding Led by Bessemer Venture Partners

auziros:mckenzie-mayer

Customer Identity (CIAM) Product Comms lead, driving collective storytelling across Okta and Auth0. Making technology accessible for everyone.

Customer Identity Product Comms Lead at Okta

McKenzie Mayer

Auth0 will provide identity-as-a-service for Israel’s renowned innovation scene

**LONDON – 10 February 2020 –** The [Auth0](https://auth0.com/) Identity Platform, a product unit within Okta, today announced a strategic partnership with [Malam-Team](https://www.malamteam.com/), Israel’s largest local systems integrator and IT products and services supplier. Team-Software, the software division of the Malam-Team group, will represent Auth0 with local expertise to help Israeli customers accelerate their identity management innovation.

Auth0 is the only identity management platform designed for application builders: product managers, software architects, security professionals, developers, and more. With a modular, extensible design, Auth0 allows builders to simply connect authentication and authorization to any application, whether web, mobile, IoT, or internal. Founded by two Microsoft developers, the company secures 100 million logins per day and protects 11 million applications for 9,000 customers around the world, including Atlassian, [Siemens](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-powers-centralized-login-for-siemens-hundreds-of-applications-worldwide/), and [Otonomo](https://auth0.com/learn/otonomo-saves-200000-annually-auth0/).

“The addition of Auth0 is a strategic decision to support our clients building the next generation of software. The market in Israel has changed as companies of all sizes have embraced modern cloud, DevOps, and cybersecurity solutions,” said Dror Reifer, Director of Sales at Malam-Team Software innovation division. “Auth0 specializes in the quick and easy integration of identity management into apps and services, and we are delighted to welcome them to our portfolio.”

Israel is recognized as a world leader in innovation, having spent nearly 5% of its GDP on [research and development](https://www.cbs.gov.il/en/mediarelease/pages/2019/the-national-expenditure-on-civilian-research-and-development-in-2018.aspx) in recent years. The partnership between Malam-Team and Auth0 will ensure companies do not have to reinvent or maintain the complexity of identity management solutions themselves, but can instead focus on their core business.

“Malam-Team is unique in that they offer holistic sales, marketing, and product support for their partners,” said Bill Lapcevic, VP of business development at Auth0. “The powerful combination of Malam-Team’s decades of proven expertise and Auth0’s flexible platform helps Israeli companies overcome the complexity of developing homegrown identity solutions for their applications.”

Learn more about the [Auth0 partner program](https://auth0.com/partners), and visit Malam-Team and Auth0 at the [AWS Summit in Tel Aviv](https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/tel-aviv/) on May 6, 2020.

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />

### Media Contacts
Mark Fowler 
 Racepoint Global for Auth0, EMEA  
auth0@racepointglobal.com 
+44 (0) 77 1124 4113

Auth0 Expands to Israel with MalamTeam Partnership

We break down the core components of identity and access management and highlight solutions that can help your team move forward in a difficult threat environment.

<div class="alert alert-success alert-icon">
 
 Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) is experiencing exponential growth. Check out our latest <a href="https://auth0.com/blog/what-is-idaas/">"What Is IDaaS?"</a> blog post to read on a definition of IDaaS that aligns with the current challenges that organizations face in the privacy and security landscapes.
</div>

If you're a growing company, particularly one that deals with a large volume of customer information, it's critical to know what solutions are available to help you protect all of this sensitive data.

The phrase identity as a service (or IDaaS) comes up repeatedly in conversations about protecting users. In the wake of scandals like [Facebook's](https://auth0.com/blog/what-facebook-disinformation-scandal-means-for-your-company/), many companies are turning to [identity as a service providers](https://auth0.com/) to help them secure and manage online identities.

But what exactly is identity as a service? What do these providers actually offer that can help you in such a challenging environment?

In this piece, we define identity as a service and break it down into core components that can help teams be more secure.

## IDaaS Defined

Identity as a service (IDaaS) comprises cloud-based solutions for identity and access management (IAM) functions, such as single sign-on ([_SSO_](https://auth0.com/blog/4-vital-ways-enterprise-sso-saves-your-employees-time/)). These methods allow all users (customers, employees, and third parties) to more securely access sensitive information both on and off-premises.

IDaaS also means collecting intelligence (i.e., logging events and reporting on which users accessed what information and when) to better understand, monitor, and improve their behaviors.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA), including biometrics, are core components of IDaaS.

### Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an increasingly popular way of verifying a user's identity. MFA requires more than one piece of identifying information (i.e., a password).

Typically, two or more of the following criteria are used:

* **Knowledge:** Something the user knows (such as a password)
* **Possession:** Something the user has (such as a cell phone)
* **Inheritance:** Something the user is (such as a fingerprint or retina scan)

For example, some apps like Intuit Mint have implemented Touch ID.

In order to enter the app, a user must possess their cell phone and know their password.

![Multi-factor authentication example diagram with TouchID](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/65COVNzxQ2RL9tpxD9PMhI/6d81e985399f0f5e32abee4f76f3c317/multi-factor-mfa-authentication-example-diagram-with-touchid)

Multi-factor or two-factor authentication provides an additional layer of security and diminishes the likelihood of unauthorized access. If a cyber thief gets ahold of your password, they still won't be able to access your account without your thumb and phone.

[Google 2-Step Verification](https://www.google.com/landing/2step/) and [Microsoft Authenticator](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/account/authenticator) are other examples of how multi-factor authentication can work. Both of these rely on a TOTP (time-based one-time password algorithm).

Despite numerous reports on [the benefits of multi-factor authentication for stopping data breaches](https://auth0.com/blog/how-two-factor-authentication-can-help-financial-institutions-reduce-data-breaches/), widespread adoption is still low:

![Graph showing adoption rates of Multi-factor authentication (MFA)](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1FtWqWW8vksPCPH5k11Gtp/3b0a6a79be940bdab4b0cfa339bbfa29/mfa-graph)

([Source](https://www.statista.com/statistics/789473/us-use-of-two-factor-authentication/))

One of the reasons for this is that it's relatively technical to get going — and users must be involved. Full deployment often requires issuing tokens or embedding cryptographic keys in specific devices.

Multi-factor authentication is also not bulletproof (although it is certainly safer than a simple password-protected system). New and safer iterations of multi-factor authentication are becoming popular, such as biometrics.

### Biometrics

Biometrics means the use of an "inheritance" criteria — something the user *is* as a means of verification.

In addition to touch ID, other common multi-factor authentication methods include SMS and voice verifications.

Some teams are even turning to thumbprints, iris or retina recognition, full [facial recognition](https://www.syte.ai/blog/brief-history-image-search/), fingerprint, hand, and DNA usage.

Additional emerging technologies include:

* **Voice recognition**. (Auth0 already has a means of helping users [_authenticate_](https://auth0.com/blog/two-factor-authentication-using-biometrics/) via voice recognition with our partner, Twilio.)

* **Typing recognition**. (While this has been slower to stick in U.S. markets, many financial firms in Norway have widely adopted the strategy. One company boasted a [_99.7%_](https://www.hottopics.ht/stories/consumer/dont-go-hacking-my-heart-10-startups-at-the-frontier-of-biometric-authentication/) success rate for distinguishing real users from fake.)

Body modifications (body mod) is one more pioneering method.

![Biometrics - BuzzFeed reporter with an implanted chip in hand](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/51JctoFx1CM2TijpukN1d/cb89e7e07af4042640dc139fc13b7e2f/chip-in-hand)

Above, a senior BuzzFeed reporter [_implanted a chip in his hand_](https://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/yes-we-scan?utm_term=.rvybjNzVOX#.hgpyDE14O2) and successfully purchased goods by connecting it to a mobile paying app.

While many of these represent exciting new frontiers for biometrics and multi-factor authentication, Touch ID, SMS, and voice verifications are good places to begin.

## New Regulations to Help Protect Users' Identities

One of the reasons that IDaaS has become so important recently is the rush to comply with the EU's [_General Data Protection Regulation_](https://www.eugdpr.org/) (GDPR). Officially approved April 14, 2016, GDPR officially became enforceable May 25, 2018. It applies to all businesses globally that collect and process the data of EU citizens.

A slew of other related regulations are springing up, such as [the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)](https://auth0.com/blog/brace-yourself-the-gdpr-ripple-effect-in-california/).

Today, organizations that are audited and don't have adequate security measures in place for consumer data can be fined up to 20 million euros or 4 percent of annual global turnover — whichever is higher.

![General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance checklist image](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/2MstUyiWOI1Vktovj0PVqi/0b75d21eb0a3a79bf70c2cd1ac7a9f22/gdpr-compliance)

[_Image source_](https://www.lepide.com/infographics/gdpr-compliance-checklist.png)

Despite these stiff punishments, a lot of companies are far from ready. Studies show that in Ireland, for example, [_a quarter of organizations_](https://www.independent.ie/business/technology/gdpr/almost-one-quarter-of-irish-firms-will-be-forced-to-close-if-subject-to-gdpr-fines-survey-36131915.html) would be forced to shut down if audited — and [60%](https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/22/17378688/gdpr-general-data-protection-regulation-eu) of tech companies aren't fully prepared.

This opens more possibilities for IDaaS providers in 2018. Strong, flexible identity management is essential to keeping user identities safe and allowing them to [comply with the new GDPR rules](https://www.godaddy.com/garage/practical-steps-for-website-gdpr-compliance/) like:

* A new Right to Data Portability
* An extended Right to Be Forgotten (also called the Right to Erasure)
* An enhanced Subject Access Right - to be free and with a shorter time to reply

Although an IDaaS provider like Auth0 can't ensure your organization will be fully compliant, we have lots of [tools](https://auth0.com/gdpr) that can help.

## IDaaS and Blockchain

2017 and 2018 have been enormous years for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies. Although the technology remains divisive ([_PwC_](https://www.pwc.com/us/en/financial-services/publications/assets/pwc-cryptocurrency-evolution.pdf) calls cryptocurrencies one of the "greatest technological breakthroughs since the Internet," while others describe them as a money-sucking "black holes"), it still highlights some incredible IDaaS opportunities.

![Blockchain Ethereum](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/2mo5yBwZJI7yUxdd90YOM4/5ced2658badd8ddf6a030501ee2c4f9f/1-ethereum-price-fb)

[_Image source._](https://ethereumprice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ethereum-price-fb.jpg)

The decentralized nature of blockchain avoids large, consolidated pools of data, which are ripe for hackers. Distributed ledgers can separate personal data, duplicate it thousands of times, and disperse it globally — but true ownership of the data remains with the individual.

While no one truly knows how (or whether) blockchain will definitely be used to manage personal identities going forward, many argue that because of its [success in tracking inventory and payments](https://auth0.com/blog/how-the-blockchain-could-change-the-idea-of-identity/), similar techniques could help verify individuals and their behaviors.

## What's Ahead for IDaaS

Demand from new regulations, paired with a lot of excitement and funding for new solutions, has opened a lot of avenues for IDaaS.

Teams of all sizes are [taking security seriously](http://blog.idonethis.com/security-ringcaptcha/) and making investments so they can move forward with less worry.

Incorporating tactics like multi-factor authentication, including biometrics like Touch ID, making sure you're in compliance with GDPR and other identity regulations, and even brainstorming how blockchain might help verify your users in the future will help your team secure its most critical data so you can grow safely.

What Is Identity as a Service (IDaaS)?

The Identity-as-a-Service platform appoints Zapproved’s Monica Enand and Heroku’s Peter van Hardenberg to its board

**BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON (PRWEB)**

[**Auth0**](https://auth0.com), the leading universal identity platform, today announced that it has appointed Monica Enand and Peter van Hardenberg as independent members to its board of directors. Monica and Peter join Auth0 co-founder Eugenio Pace, Auth0 CEO Jon Gelsey and Bessemer Venture Partners VP Sunil Nagaraj as members of the board of directors.

*“As successful entrepreneurs that have built modern SaaS businesses from scratch, both Monica and Peter will each contribute unique experiences to accelerate Auth0’s growth,”* said Jon Gelsey, Auth0 CEO. *“Peter has deep experience running and building world-class developer tools and Monica is a seasoned, venture-backed founder and CEO with strong enterprise sales and marketing expertise. We are honored that they’ve agreed to apply their knowledge and experience to further accelerate our success.”*

*Monica Enand* is the founder and CEO of [Zapproved](https://www.zapproved.com/), a SaaS legal compliance and e-discovery platform. She has extensive management and software experience, previously holding leadership positions with industry leaders such as IBM and Intel. In 2014, Monica was appointed by the Governor of Oregon to the Oregon Growth Board, and she is also a board member at the Technology Association of Oregon.

Peter van Hardenberg has extensive experience working as an advisor to developer-oriented startups. He is currently the co-founder of the Heroku Postgres product team, and is responsible for designing, developing and operating the largest cluster of SaaS Postgres databases in the world. In his time at Heroku, Peter has also overseen the ecosystem partnerships team and was part of the company’s acquisition by Salesforce in 2010. Peter has a passion for helping software developers get their applications running and making sure they’re successful.

Auth0 is on a mission to simplify enterprise, social and custom identity management for developers everywhere. The company recently secured Series A funding of over $9M. Auth0’s 25,000+ subscribers include world-class enterprises like Schneider Electric, JetPrivilege, and HarperCollins Publishing, and are located in more than 150 countries worldwide.

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />

Auth0 Adds SaaS Luminaries to its Board of Directors

The Identity-as-a-Service platform raises $9.3M to simplify secure identity implementation and management for developers everywhere.

**BELLEVUE, Wash.**--(BUSINESS WIRE)--[**Auth0**](https://auth0.com), the leading universal identity platform, today announced it has raised a total of $9.3M in funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation by K9 Ventures and others. The company will use the funds to support the high subscriber growth of its identity-as-a-service platform for developers, specifically focusing on expanding its marketing and customer success staff and developing additional product features to make strong identity security even easier for developers to implement and manage.

Auth0 is on a mission to simplify enterprise, social and custom identity management for developers everywhere. Vastly different from traditional authorization and authentication solutions, Auth0’s cloud platform makes strong authentication and authorization simple to implement for developers and IT administrators by augmenting and extending existing or new identity environments. With Auth0, developers no longer need deep vertical experience across authorization, authentication, identity management and security. Instead they can quickly leverage the world-class security and identity expertise of the Auth0 cloud service to secure modern mobile and web applications and APIs by simply adding a few lines of code, regardless of the complexity of the identity environment.

*“Implementing identity for anything more than the most trivial scenario has historically been a massive pain,”* said CEO Jon Gelsey. *“That pain translates both into weaker security and delays in shipping new applications, APIs or IoT devices. The friction of traditional identity implementation has often meant that developers are forced to trade strong identity security for on-time product launches. Auth0 makes strong identity security easy to implement without making any sacrifices.”*

While developers love Auth0 because it’s the fastest and simplest way to implement identity even in the most complex identity environments, their enterprises love Auth0 because it ensures their users always benefit from the latest state-of-the-art security features. This includes a sophisticated, configurable, and contextual [multifactor authentication](https://auth0.com/learn/multifactor-authentication/) capability as well as numerous additional security policies that developers can implement with a click.

*“It’s now painfully obvious that insecure or incomplete authentication implementations are creating vulnerabilities, jeopardizing customer trust, and hindering enterprise adoption of cloud and mobile services,”* observed VeriSign co-founder David Cowan, a partner at BVP. *“So Bessemer is thrilled to partner with the best identity team in the world to deliver secure login as a service — as easy to use as Twilio, SendGrid and Stripe.”* As part of the Series A round, Sunil Nagaraj of Bessemer Venture Partners will join the board of Auth0.

Auth0’s Series A funding of $6.875M, added to the $2.4M raised in a convertible seed round last September, brings its total raised to over $9M. The company plans to invest in marketing, customer success, and new product features to further extend and support its rapidly growing customer base. Auth0’s 20,000+ subscribers include world-class enterprises like *Schneider Electric*, *JetPrivilege*, and *Mindjet*. Auth0 subscribers are located in more than 150 countries worldwide. The Series A funding will enhance Auth0’s capability to deliver a platform that meets developers’ evolving needs.

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## About Bessemer Venture Partners

**Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP)** invests in early-stage and hyper-growth startups, partnering closely with entrepreneurs to build durable businesses. BVP is a global firm with offices in Menlo Park, San Francisco, Cambridge, New York, Bangalore and Herzliya. With $4 billion under management, BVP invests anywhere from $100,000 to $75 million in innovative companies like *Pinterest*, *Twilio*, *Box*, *LinkedIn*, *Shopify*, *Yelp*, *Skype* and *CornerstoneOnDemand**. Over 100 BVP companies have gone public – in the last three years alone, BVP has had 46 exits (IPO and M&A) and made new investments in more than 85 companies. Learn more at [www.bvp.com](http://www.bvp.com) and follow us on Twitter [@BessemerVP](https://twitter.com/BessemerVP).

## About K9 Ventures

**K9 Ventures** is a technology focused micro-VC fund led by Dr. Manu Kumar. K9 is based in Palo Alto, California and invests in teams of technical founders in Silicon Valley, who are creating new technology or opening new markets, with a direct revenue model. K9 primarily invests at the pre-seed or seed stage and has invested in several companies including *Lyft*, *Twilio*, *CardMunch*, *Occipital*, *NimbleVR*, *eShares*, *Coin*, *Osmo*, and more. K9 Ventures can be found on the web at [k9ventures.com](http://k9ventures.com) or on Twitter at [@K9Ventures](https://twitter.com/K9Ventures).

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