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The identity and access management (IAM) space is becoming more complicated as time goes on and new players enter the market. Over the last several years, a slew of different approaches to identity security and user management have appeared. These changes spark many debates and questions, including, ‘why use JumpCloud over OneLogin?’.
When trying to decide whether your organization should utilize one platform over the other, there are a few key points to consider. But, before we can definitively answer why you should use JumpCloud over OneLogin, let’s take a detailed look at the Identity-as-a-Service (or IDaaS) market as a whole.
The History of IDaaS
If you were to look at the IT landscape in its early days, there was hardly a need for an entire IDaaS market. Most organizations were Windows-based, utilizing Microsoft Active Directory (AD), an on-prem directory service, to connect end-users to their Windows resources. However, as time went on, non-Windows resources began to crop up. Mac and Linux systems, web applications like Salesforce, productivity platforms like Google Workspace, Samba file servers, NAS appliances, and much more really put a strain on AD’s ability to connect users to their resources.
These challenges that Active Directory faced are what brought about the need for IDaaS solutions. As web applications became popular, first generation IDaaS solutions or also commonly known as web application single sign-on (SSO) solutions emerged, which allowed organizations to connect their Windows identities to the vast expanse of non-Microsoft web apps. But as time goes on and we continue to shift further from the traditional Windows environment, it gets ever more difficult to stack solutions on top of Active Directory to make it platform agnostic.
A Look Inside OneLogin
OneLogin has made a name for itself as a fast follower to the web application SSO market leader, Okta. Determining whether or not your organization needs an SSO solution depends on your entire approach for identity and access management. Generally, organizations that leverage an on-prem directory service such as Active Directory also have an SSO solution in place like OneLogin or Okta, in order to extend their Windows identites to the cloud.
OneLogin, for example, claims to connect to 5,000+ applications, while Okta says they have over 10,000. That being said, most IT organizations will tell you that the number of applications supported is hardly a factor in their decision (does your team really need SSO access to Netflix?). Once the core business application set is covered, other capabilities such as securely managing and connecting users to their systems, servers/cloud infrastructure, legacy applications, files, and networks end up being the critical factors in the decision-making process. Of course, this assumes that the organization is tied to using AD.
If you’re finding it difficult to stack third party solutions on top of AD, it may be time to go back to the basics and replace your identity provider (IdP). Another reason to look at replacing AD is if the limitations that are inherent within SSO add-on solutions like OneLogin and Okta will limit your organization. If your entire IdP solution will need to shift to the cloud within the next few years anyway, it makes sense to get a jumpstart on the transition now, rather than waiting for the point solutions you pile on to become obsolete.
Integrating OneLogin and JumpCloud
JumpCloud is primarily focused on being the cloud-based directory service alternative to Active Directory. In fact, the JumpCloud Directory Platform is designed to function as the authoritative identity provider for web app SSO solutions such as OneLogin and Okta, acting as a base layer essentially. So, in this respect, it’s easy to see how the relationship between JumpCloud and OneLogin can be complementary.
By connecting OneLogin to JumpCloud, you end up with a central directory that lets IT control user access to resources in one place. Adding, deleting, and changing access rights happens in one spot rather than on each device, in each application, or within the SSO solution. Simply make your changes in JumpCloud and the changes propagate through to OneLogin and elsewhere. This ensures that a terminated user does not have a backdoor to your data or applications. It’s important not only for security reasons, but also for compliance with security standards.
However, the goal for most organizations is not to add more tools into the mix — it’s to reduce this number to save money and time managing fewer resources. OneLogin and Okta are meant to be web app SSO solutions, and web apps make up only a fraction of the resources end-users login to every day.
Replacing OneLogin and Active Directory
This is where JumpCloud can come in and do the jobs of both Active Directory and OneLogin. In this case, JumpCloud acts as a replacement to AD and an SSO solution, but it is SaaS-based without the need to integrate multiple solutions. As a hosted directory service, IT admins don’t have to manage hardware or software and can just focus on getting their users access to what IT resources they need regardless platform, provider, protocol, and location. This approach is much easier than running your own directory on-prem. This approach also allows you to get rid of add-on solutions such as SSO, MDM, MFA, PAM, and IGA among others you may currently have, and transition over to a comprehensive IAM platform that has those features built-in.
JumpCloud can act as your core IdP while federating identities and providing True Single Sign-On capabilities that let users securely and quickly authenticate to virtually all their IT resources such as Mac, Windows, and Linux systems; legacy and web applications; file servers; VPNs; WiFi networks; and more all from the cloud irrespective of platform, protocol, provider, or location.
So, Why Should You Use JumpCloud Over OneLogin?
An ideal single sign-on platform should give you more than web app SSO — it should leverage one identity to allow users to access virtually all of their IT resources, shouldn’t it? Well that’s possible through the JumpCloud Directory Platform and its built-in True Single Sign-On™ capabilities. Why use OneLogin over JumpCloud when the industry is transitioning away from add-on solutions to an identity and device management platform? It just doesn’t make sense for your organization’s bottom-line with the modern solutions like JumpCloud that are available and flexible enough to meet your many evolving needs.
Plus, JumpCloud ranks #1 on G2 in terms of popularity and satisfaction in a variety of categories including cloud directory and SSO — and for good reason!
With cloud LDAP, SAML, and cloud RADIUS protocols, JumpCloud connects users to applications on-prem and in the cloud, as well as to their WiFi networks, and devices / cloud infrastructure. This opens up communication tools like Slack, dev platforms like GitHub, helpdesk software like Freshdesk, and cloud infrastructure like AWS, all with one unified identity. Providing endpoint management, JumpCloud is a cloud directory service that manages Windows, Mac, and Linux users and systems whether on-prem or remote, which is more important than ever in a modern, heterogeneous IT environment that likely also supports remote work.
Explore the Entire JumpCloud Platform Free
If you’ve started to consider what it would be like to replace Active Directory and OneLogin or put in place a more robust single sign-on solution, then it’s time to try out JumpCloud Directory Platform to see if it will meet your organization’s needs. To get started, create a JumpCloud Free account to access the entirety of the platform for free, up to 10 users and 10 devices. Along with that, enjoy 24×7 in-app support — free for the first 10 days!
