January 6, 2026

Picture This…

You’re rushing to close a deal while at the airport, but your laptop seems intent on keeping you from the files and systems you need. First, the VPN demands a password change. Who knows why? Next, you need to enter your hardware token for the contract system’s separate authentication. When you finally get access, you discover that something expired somewhere, and you can’t get to the files you need. A frantic call to the help desk reveals that continued access requires approval from a manager who’s currently unreachable. Your plane touches down at your destination and you’re home by the time everything is resolved. You still need to close that deal, and the customer is growing impatient. You cross your fingers as you log in from your home network…

Unfortunately, these types of frustrations are all too common. That’s because identity and access management and user experience are often acting as opposing forces, as if organizations must choose between being secure or being productive. This false dichotomy has led security teams to implement controls that prioritize protection without giving usability enough priority, while business units seek workarounds that enable productivity at the expense of security.

The reality is that fragmented identity systems, not identity security itself, are the true culprits behind unnecessary friction:

• Organizations have built separate authentication mechanisms for employees, customers, and partners.
• API-driven systems and software ecosystems have introduced machine-level identities that don’t fit into legacy identity security strategies.
• There are different tools for regular and privileged access.
• Every business unit maintains its own roles and access policies across cloud, on-premises, and SaaS environments.

This fragmentation creates security gaps while simultaneously frustrating users who must navigate multiple identity experiences throughout their workday.

The Reality of a Bad User Login Experience

Did you know that  users log into between 10 and 15 unique systems per workday? At an average of 30 seconds per login, that’s 21 to 32 hours per year – over half of a work week – spent on authentication.

And that’s when the user remembers their passwords. Employees spend on average 11 hours a year trying to remember forgotten passwords, resulting in millions of dollars in lost productivity.

But it gets worse…

Those same organizations dedicate up to 30% of IT tickets to password resets, with an average cost of $70 per request.

The hidden costs extend even further beyond the direct time spent on logins and password resets. Every authentication interruption creates a costly context switch, breaking users’ flow state and requiring between 8 and 25 minutes to regain full concentration on their primary tasks.

This cognitive friction compounds when employees navigate inconsistent interfaces across different systems: one requiring a token, another demanding answers to security questions, and yet another requiring a mobile push notification. Studies show that employees facing high login friction often batch their work inefficiently, delay accessing secure systems until necessary, or resort to insecure workarounds like password sharing and unauthorized tools.

The psychological toll is equally significant. Security fatigue can lead to poorer decision-making and increased human error rates. When security becomes synonymous with frustration, users develop negative associations that undermine the security culture organizations are trying to build. This mentality creates a destructive cycle where both productivity and security posture deteriorate simultaneously.

Identity Convergence as the Cornerstone of User Satisfaction

Identity convergence unifies previously siloed identity management systems into a cohesive framework that provides consistent authentication, authorization, and governance across all users, devices, and environments. This creates an adaptive security perimeter that enhances security posture regardless of environmental complexity.

More importantly, identity convergence offers a better path forward: one where security directly improves the user experience. By unifying identity management across environments and implementing risk-based controls that adapt to context, organizations can create seamless experiences that apply the right level of security at the right moment without unnecessary friction.

This raises an important question: why haven’t more organizations achieved this ideal state? Many have invested heavily in identity technologies like MFA and SSO yet still struggle with user friction and security gaps. The answer lies in understanding the limitations of point solutions versus a truly converged approach.

Why MFA and SSO Aren’t Enough

Simply bolting multi-factor authentication (MFA) onto fragmented Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions falls short of addressing sophisticated identity challenges in highly distributed and complex networks. While MFA and SSO provide valuable protection against credential theft and reduce login friction for certain applications, they represent just pieces of a much larger puzzle.

Organizations implementing these technologies across disconnected systems only provide seamless, secure access to some systems, not all. Other resources could end up hiding in blind spots, especially legacy systems, privileged accounts, and machine identities that fall outside SSO coverage. A piecemeal approach leaves critical gaps between systems where access remains unprotected, entitlements accumulate unchecked, and lifecycle management breaks down during role changes.

True security transformation requires identity convergence: a comprehensive framework that orchestrates authentication, authorization, governance, and lifecycle management across all identity types and environments. Only then can organizations eliminate the seams that attackers exploit while delivering the truly seamless experience that users deserve. MFA and SSO are important controls; identity convergence is the strategic foundation that makes those controls work together effectively.

Key Elements of Identity Convergence that Reduce Friction

Organizations implementing identity convergence report dramatic reductions in authentication friction while simultaneously strengthening their security posture. Users interact seamlessly with systems, reducing frustration and context switching, all while creating an environment that users don’t feel the need to circumvent to get their work done. These four foundational elements of identity convergence are the key ingredients to a better user experience:

1. Unified Authentication: Imagine employees accessing all resources, whether on-premises, cloud, or third-party, through consistent, intuitive authentication flows. No more juggling different login methods for different systems, but one seamless experience that maintains context as users move between applications.
2. Risk-based Controls: Instead of subjecting users to the same high-friction security measures regardless of circumstance, converged identity systems intelligently adjust requirements based on context. Routine access from familiar locations? Streamlined experience. Sensitive data from an unusual device? Additional verification automatically challenges the user, but only when necessary.
3. Consistent Policy Enforcement: When policies follow users rather than being tied to individual systems, both security and predictability improve. Users develop clear expectations about authentication requirements, while security gaps between environments disappear.
4. Streamlined Lifecycle Management: Perhaps most impactful is how convergence transforms onboarding, role changes, and offboarding. Imagine access privileges automatically updating across all systems simultaneously when someone’s role changes. There are no tickets, no waiting, no forgotten accounts with lingering access.

Picture This Again…

While waiting at the airport, you open your laptop and access the corporate portal with your fingerprint. The system recognizes you’re traveling but verifies your identity through a quick push notification to your phone. Because you’re accessing contract systems from an unfamiliar location, you’re prompted for additional verification: a simple six-digit code from your authentication app. After entering it, you immediately access all the contract documents you need, with permissions that follow your role rather than requiring separate approvals for each system. The entire process takes minutes, not hours, and the deal closes on schedule. You even have time for a snack before you board your plane.

Embracing the Future of Identity Security

As organizations continue transforming across increasingly complex environments, fragmented identity systems create unnecessary friction that frustrates users while leaving security gaps for attackers to exploit. The way forward is clear: identity convergence is an essential strategy for organizations that need both robust security and exceptional user experiences.

By unifying identity management across all users, devices, and environments, organizations can build adaptive security perimeters that intelligently adjust to context and streamline connections between access points. This convergence transforms how users interact with systems, removing barriers to productivity while strengthening protection against sophisticated threats.

The time to act is now. The whitepaper “Building an Adaptive Security Perimeter Through Identity Convergence” provides a detailed implementation roadmap for organizations ready to transform their approach to identity, and finally resolve the tension between security and user experience.

Read the paper >