An identity broker simplifies authentication by connecting applications with multiple identity providers through a common authentication layer.
Disconnected identity systems increase administrative overhead, complicate access management, and create inconsistent authentication controls.
Identity brokers coordinate authentication across trusted providers using protocols such as SAML 2.0 and OIDC, reducing the need for separate integrations.
Organizations should evaluate compatibility, security, and integration needs before adoption. Hexnode IdP supports centralized authentication, application access, and user provisioning.
Why is managing authentication across multiple identity systems challenging?
Managing authentication across multiple identity systems is challenging when employees, contractors, and partners use different identity providers to access business applications. An identity broker helps simplify these connections, but IT teams must still ensure secure authentication and consistent access controls across systems.
As organizations adopt more applications and work with external users, authentication management becomes increasingly complex. Common challenges include:
Multiple integrations: Each application may require separate configurations to connect with different identity providers.
Administrative overhead: IT teams must maintain authentication connections, update configurations, and troubleshoot sign-in failures.
Access management complexity: Different identity systems can make it harder to maintain consistent authentication requirements.
Identity brokering helps address these challenges by connecting applications with multiple identity providers through a common authentication layer, reducing the need for separate integrations.
What are the risks of disconnected identity systems?
Disconnected identity systems can introduce security gaps and operational inefficiencies, particularly when organizations manage users across multiple identity providers. These challenges can affect authentication consistency, identity and access management, and troubleshooting.
Increased administrative overhead
IT teams must maintain separate authentication integrations, update configurations, and troubleshoot sign-in issues across different systems, increasing their workload.
Inconsistent authentication controls
Different identity providers may enforce varying MFA requirements and authentication policies, making it harder to maintain consistent security standards.
Complex access management
Coordinating onboarding, role changes, and offboarding across separate identity domains becomes more difficult, increasing the risk of outdated access permissions.
Limited authentication visibility
Authentication logs distributed across multiple systems make it harder to investigate sign-in failures and identify their underlying causes.
While identity brokering simplifies authentication relationships, it does not automatically resolve access governance or user provisioning challenges.
What is an identity broker?
An identity broker is an intermediary that connects applications with one or more identity providers (IdPs) to facilitate user authentication and the secure exchange of identity information. It acts as a central authentication layer, allowing applications to accept identities from different providers without requiring a separate integration with each one.
Identity brokering typically involves three main components:
Identity provider (IdP): Authenticates users by verifying their credentials or other authentication factors. It then provides trusted identity information through authentication assertions or tokens.
Identity broker: Coordinates authentication requests between applications and trusted identity providers. It can route users to the appropriate provider, validate authentication responses, and map identity attributes when required.
Application: Receives and validates the authentication response from the broker and determines whether to establish a user session based on its access requirements.
An identity broker generally relies on existing identity providers to authenticate users rather than replacing them. This allows organizations to maintain their current identity infrastructure while simplifying authentication across multiple applications.
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How does an identity broker work?
An identity broker acts as an intermediary between applications and trusted identity providers. Instead of connecting directly to multiple identity providers, applications rely on the broker to coordinate authentication and exchange trusted identity information.
1. Authentication request and identity provider selection
When a user attempts to access a business application, the application redirects them to the identity broker. The broker identifies the appropriate identity provider based on configured routing rules or user information.
2. User authentication and response validation
The selected identity provider authenticates the user through the required sign-in process, including MFA where applicable. It then sends an authentication response to the broker.
The broker validates the response, processes the necessary identity attributes, and issues a trusted authentication response to the application.
3. Application access and session establishment
The application validates the broker’s response and determines whether to establish a user session based on its access requirements.
Identity brokers commonly use federation protocols such as SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC) to support authentication across connected systems.
For example, a contractor accessing a company’s project management application can authenticate through their employer’s identity provider. The broker coordinates authentication between that provider and the application, allowing the contractor to use their existing organizational credentials.
How is an identity broker different from an identity provider?
The key difference is that an identity provider (IdP) authenticates users, while an identity broker connects applications with identity providers and coordinates the authentication process.
Aspect
Identity provider
Identity broker
Primary purpose
Authenticates users and provides identity information.
Connects applications with trusted identity providers.
Authentication responsibility
Verifies user identity.
Routes and coordinates authentication requests.
Identity information
Issues authentication assertions or tokens.
Validates and processes identity information from IdPs.
Typical use case
Centralized employee authentication and SSO.
Authentication across multiple IdPs or organizations.
These roles are not mutually exclusive. Some IAM platforms can function as both an identity provider and an identity broker, depending on how they are configured within the authentication architecture.
When should you use an identity broker?
An identity broker is useful when organizations need to support authentication across multiple identity providers or simplify federation between applications and identity systems. It is particularly relevant when users belong to different organizations or rely on separate authentication infrastructures.
Managing multiple identity providers
Organizations may use different identity providers for employees, departments, or business units. An identity broker allows applications to support these providers through a common integration.
How does this help IT teams?
Reduces the need to configure separate authentication connections for every application and identity provider.
Simplifies the management of federation relationships across different identity systems.
Providing secure access to external users
Contractors, partners, and external collaborators often need access to business applications without becoming part of the organization’s internal identity directory.
An identity broker enables these users to authenticate through their organization’s existing identity provider while accessing applications permitted by the resource-owning organization.
Connecting different authentication systems
Organizations may operate applications and identity providers that support different federation protocols, such as SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC).
How does protocol compatibility help?
An identity broker with appropriate protocol translation capabilities can connect these systems, allowing applications and identity providers to communicate without requiring them to use the same federation protocol.
Supporting mergers and acquisitions
During mergers and acquisitions, organizations often maintain separate identity directories while integrating business applications.
An identity broker can establish trusted authentication connections between these environments, allowing users from both organizations to access shared applications without immediately consolidating their identity systems.
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What should you consider before using an identity broker?
Before implementing an identity broker, organizations should evaluate their existing authentication infrastructure, security requirements, and integration needs. The goal is to determine whether identity brokering simplifies access management without introducing unnecessary complexity.
Check whether existing identity providers already support the required federation capabilities.
Verify that applications and identity providers support compatible authentication protocols, such as SAML 2.0 and OIDC.
Evaluate security requirements, including MFA, trust relationships, identity attribute mapping, and session management.
Assess the configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting effort required to introduce an additional authentication component.
Consider how identity broker outages or upstream identity provider failures could affect application availability.
Determine whether existing SSO capabilities can meet authentication requirements without introducing a separate broker.
Organizations using a single identity provider with straightforward SSO requirements may not need an identity broker. The decision should depend on their authentication architecture and federation needs.
How does Hexnode support centralized identity and access management?
Hexnode IdP helps organizations manage enterprise authentication, application access, and user identities through a centralized platform. While identity brokering focuses on connecting multiple identity providers, Hexnode IdP provides authentication and access management capabilities for integrated business applications.
Key capabilities include:
SAML 2.0 and OIDC Single Sign-On: Enables users to authenticate to integrated enterprise applications through Hexnode IdP using supported federation protocols.
User and Group Application Assignments: Allows administrators to assign or remove application access for individual users and groups, including through App Groups.
Conditional Access Policies: Hexnode IdP documents contextual access capabilities, including location and network restrictions. Confirm support for device compliance conditions in the intended application and platform configuration.
SCIM 2.0 Provisioning: Automates supported user account creation, updates, and deactivation in compatible applications, helping maintain user lifecycle consistency.
These capabilities simplify authentication, application access, and user provisioning without providing general-purpose identity brokering.
Does an identity broker replace single sign-on (SSO)?
No, an identity broker does not replace SSO. It can support SSO by connecting applications to multiple trusted identity providers, allowing users to authenticate through their existing identity systems.
Can an identity broker enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA)?
An identity broker can coordinate MFA requirements during authentication, depending on its capabilities and configuration. The upstream identity provider may enforce MFA, so administrators must verify where authentication policies apply.
Does an identity broker manage user provisioning and deprovisioning?
No, identity brokering alone does not automatically provision or deprovision user accounts. These operations require separate identity lifecycle management capabilities, such as SCIM provisioning or directory integrations.
Simplify enterprise authentication with Hexnode IdP
A well-structured authentication architecture helps organizations secure user access while reducing the complexity of managing identity integrations. Centralized authentication and consistent access controls make it easier for IT teams to manage access across business applications.
Hexnode IdP helps organizations streamline authentication, manage application access, and support user lifecycle management through a unified platform.
Explore how Hexnode IdP can simplify identity and access management for your organization.
Simplify authentication across your business applications.
Explore centralized authentication and application access management with Hexnode IdP.
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