Enhancing Customer Experiences with CIAM

In a recent interview, David deBoisblanc, managing partner at Duczer East and a valued partner of WSO2, interviewed Geethika Cooray, vice president and general manager of IAM at WSO2, to gain insights into the importance of CIAM for the C-suite and its role in enhancing the customer experience. Here are the highlights from their conversation, which shed light on what a modern CIAM solution should entail, emerging industry trends, and WSO2's product roadmap. 

How important is CIAM for CxOs?

Every business has unique characteristics and serves different types of users, such as consumers (B2C), other businesses (B2B), and government entities (G2C/G2G/G2B). Modern CIAM recognizes these differences and aims to meet the specific needs of each use case. Depending on the type of business and their goals, CIAM also addresses the interests of various organizational CxOs, including CMOs who prioritize user experience, CISOs who focus on security, and CDOs who seek to digitize and unify interactions. CIAM's goal is to provide simple and seamless experiences while considering the specific requirements and expectations of different stakeholders and CxOs.

Can you provide examples of how CIAM improves the customer experience? 

The user journey and the various touchpoints are areas where CIAM enhances the customer experience. It begins with a seamless onboarding process, allowing users to create accounts or use their social identities for login. Multi-attribute logins enable users to authenticate using different credentials during subsequent visits, while single sign-on (SSO) functionality ensures a seamless experience when interacting with multiple applications. The ultimate goal is to make identity management invisible to users, creating personalized experiences that drive retention. 

Should CIOs and architects consider CIAM at the inception of a project?

Early consideration of CIAM in project planning is very important. As digital transformation initiatives become more identity-led, integrating CIAM from the beginning ensures a cohesive approach. One of WSO2's most successful CIAM-led API management and digital transformation project was with Hard Rock, which involved consolidating loyalty programs and providing superior customer experiences which relied on a tight integration between CIAM and other technologies. 

What are the industry trends in CIAM that WSO2 is keeping up with? 

There are several notable trends in the CIAM space. Zero trust and decentralized identity are gaining traction, with questions emerging about the role of AI in identity management. WSO2 has an evolutionary strategy for CIAM, starting from security-focused CIAM 1.0 to integration-driven CIAM 2.0 and ultimately personalization-centric CIAM 3.0. We aim to deliver a flexible, developer-focused platform that enables enterprises to leverage their users' identities and deliver personalized experiences seamlessly. 

How does WSO2's product roadmap align with these trends and insights? 

WSO2 has a unique unique position in the market due to its API management, integration, and CIAM capabilities. The focus moving forward lies in WSO2’s SaaS suite, which encompasses application development (Choreo) and CIAM solutions (Asgardeo and WSO2 Private CIAM Cloud). We aim to empower developers with a developer-first approach by providing robust APIs, SDKs, and a flexible cloud platform and recognizes that delivering exceptional customer experiences is crucial for business success. 

Conclusion

For a comprehensive understanding of Geethika's perspectives on CIAM, we recommend watching the full video interview available here. Furthermore, if you are interested in exploring the depths of your CIAM program's maturity and unlocking its potential for future growth, delve into Geethika's blog, CIAM Beyond Access Management - Is Your CIAM Program There Yet?