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Axiad Conductor vs Symantec Advanced Authentication comparison

Axiad and Broadcom are both solutions in the Authentication Systems category. Axiad is ranked #23, while Broadcom is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.0. Axiad holds a 0.7% mindshare in AS, compared to Broadcom’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Axiad users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 77% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.
Axiad Conductor
Read 6 Axiad Conductor reviews
  • 961 Views
  • 596 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Symantec Advanced Authentic...
Read 9 Symantec Advanced Authentication reviews
  • 371 Views
  • 360 Comparison Views
77% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 28, 2025

Symantec Advanced Authentication and Axiad Conductor are competitors in the field of authentication solutions. Symantec holds an advantage in pricing and support, making it a cost-effective choice for many, while Axiad's extensive features make it appealing despite its higher costs.

Features: Symantec Advanced Authentication provides robust multi-factor authentication, adaptive risk assessment, and broad integration capabilities. Axiad Conductor excels with advanced credential management, a comprehensive authentication options range, including passwordless solutions, and versatile features that offer flexibility for diverse enterprise needs.

Room for Improvement: Symantec could improve by enhancing user interface capabilities, expanding its cloud-based offerings, and increasing the depth of its multi-factor authentication methods. Axiad could benefit from lowering its initial setup complexities, providing more transparent pricing tiers, and expanding its user support resources to accommodate issues beyond initial deployment phases.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Symantec offers a straightforward deployment process with responsive customer support, which can be highly beneficial for organizations seeking quick integration. Axiad's cloud-based model provides flexibility and scalability, although it may require more setup time. Its customer service is tailored and engages deeply with clients, which suits organizations needing extensive support and customized solutions.

Pricing and ROI: Symantec is typically more economical upfront and yields good ROI due to efficient integration with existing systems. Axiad, despite a higher initial investment, offers a substantial return through its feature-rich platform that enhances security and reduces long-term operational costs. Its comprehensive capabilities justify the investment for enterprises seeking advanced authentication mechanisms.

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To learn more, read our detailed Axiad Conductor vs. Symantec Advanced Authentication Report (Updated: September 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Axiad Conductor vs. Symantec Advanced Authentication
September 2025
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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Axiad Conductor
Ranking in Authentication Systems
23rd
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Identity Management (IM) (59th), Privileged Access Management (PAM) (40th), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (27th), Passwordless Authentication (9th), Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) (41st), Insider Risk Management (25th), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (8th), Non-Human Identity Management (NHIM) (15th)
Symantec Advanced Authentic...
Ranking in Authentication Systems
17th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.7
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of Axiad Conductor is 0.7%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Advanced Authentication is 0.6%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Authentication Systems Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Symantec Advanced Authentication0.6%
Axiad Conductor0.7%
Other98.7%
Authentication Systems
 

Featured Reviews

Eric Brown - PeerSpot reviewer
The day-to-day tasks, running the servers, and making sure that everything is patched is all handled by the platform
The most valuable feature is the overhead management of the platform. There is less for my team to worry about. The day-to-day tasks, running the servers, and making sure that everything is patched is all handled by the platform. We just consume the service and work with them to refine it, making it even more valuable. Aside from Active Directory, anything that is a multi-factor platform is handled through Axiad Cloud. It is critical for helping to enforce usage of authentication devices across our organization. One of our requirements to continue some of our contracts is to have multi-factor authentication across all devices accessing the network. It is extremely easy to enroll a user with “One Click Issuance”. I have had very few calls to the service desk regarding enrollment. It takes a couple of minutes to enroll a user with "One Click Issuance". Deploying and managing authenticators is very easy, either done by a mobile application or enrollment of an OTP token. It is very simple. This is important to my userbase, which makes it important to me. Functionality-wise, it is pretty solid.
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Umair (Abu Mohaymin) Akhlaque - PeerSpot reviewer
Ensures robust security features and ease of deployment, although it may lack some of the more modern authentication options
There has been a need for aggressive development to modernize the product and align it with contemporary security requirements. While the rebranding has been a step forward, further enhancements are essential to meet the evolving demands of the market. It lacks features such as ActiveSync Exchange security, and it doesn't offer alternatives like password-less authentication via biometrics or patches. While Symantec mainly relies on traditional token-based or password-based methods, newer authentication methods are missing from its repertoire. Support services often lack promptness and depth of knowledge, leaving customers waiting for weeks to resolve issues. In the realm of multifactor authentication, swift resolution of problems is critical, as any slowdown or interruption can significantly impact operations. Urgent improvement is necessary to ensure that support responses are faster and more effective, aligning with the demands of MFA implementation.
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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The life cycle management of credentials is the aspect that we have found to be the most useful... The differentiator that Axiad provided was the ability to provide users a way to self-serve the updating of their credentials on their private keys. That was the feature we were most interested in and Axiad does an excellent job of it."
"The solution has also saved us time by having end-users troubleshoot issues through the MyCircle feature, and has definitely reduced the efforts of our administrators. It is saving us five to 10 minutes per incident."
"It's very user-friendly. We're issuing YubiKeys for our corporate users and they just plug it in, go to the Axiad Cloud portal, and click the issue button. It's a couple of steps."
"What I have found most valuable is the overall way Axiad listened to our problems and helped us solve them. They provided guidance and expertise, with their experience, that enabled us to be successful in a very challenging space."
"Aside from Active Directory, anything that is a multi-factor platform is handled through Axiad Cloud. It is critical for helping to enforce usage of authentication devices across our organization."
"And when it comes to enrolling a user, it's super easy with One Click Issuance... It's so easy now that we can offload the process to our clients who can self-enroll. Previously, we would have to do the enrollment process because it was so complicated."
"Rules on Risk Authentication are very good."
"It tells us exactly what we want in terms of authentication to various applications and provides protection for users who access them."
"One of the most valuable aspects is its remarkable stability."
"One of the most valuable features of this solution is that it's a strong authentication solution that's able to integrate with applications."
 

Cons

"I would like a more modern look to the portal."
"macOS is notoriously ever-evolving and it's difficult to keep pace with it as it pertains to certain kinds of crypto authentication. That's really not even on Axiad. That's a decision by Apple, but it makes it a moving target."
"We would prefer that the solution be hosted in Canada because we're a Canadian entity. That would be nice to have. It's not a feature, as such, but it would really make us a lot happier if it could be located in Canada."
"There are just some minor tweaks that could be made on the front end. It would be cool to have nicknames for authenticator devices. If you have more than one, it's hard to discern what you have."
"I'm looking forward to seeing how they move to FIDO U2F as their primary authentication method across all of their solutions."
"With their licensing model, it becomes hard to scale. For example, we couldn't roll it out enterprise-wide because if you scale it across more than 100,000 users, the cost becomes too exorbitant."
"Advanced Authentication talks about the Device ID. But how the device ID is captured, I want to know more about that."
"We have seen quite a few issues with bugginess. It is indeed pretty buggy and we have had to install some fixes."
"This solution could be improved with risk-based authentication. I think that this product has everything that most customers are looking for, but modern technology has people looking for security tools with risk-based authentication, which they have a separate tool for. If they could integrate this, it would improve Symantec Advanced Authentication. They have to look at what's newly trending and how things are moving forward, and then adapt and adopt those features. Symantec's technical support should also be improved, in terms of response time."
"Urgent improvement is necessary to ensure that support responses are faster and more effective, aligning with the demands of MFA implementation."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Don't just focus on the hardware or software costs of acquiring a solution, but look at it from the perspective that so much of what it takes to run a PKI environment has to do with the people who are running it.... look at the total cost of ownership and not just the cost of acquisition."
"Axiad's pricing was what we were expecting. It was at the right spot. They were competitive."
"The pricing is very competitive for what is offered at the level that we need. They are right there with what the industry standards are. They tend to be a little bit less, in terms of cost, when we are talking about security at government standards. So, I would say that they have a slight advantage on cost compared to the industry average. They are the lower cost solution and the best bargain out on the market today."
"It's very cheap on a per-year basis. The cards themselves last about three years and the license is on the order of double-digit dollars per user, and not hundreds of dollars per user, per year."
"There are eventually going to be implementation costs. Sometimes you're required to have custom code developments there, so that has to be part of the implementation price."
"The price is reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business2
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Symantec Advanced Authentication?
One of the most valuable aspects is its remarkable stability.
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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec Advanced Authentication?
The price is reasonable.
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What needs improvement with Symantec Advanced Authentication?
There has been a need for aggressive development to modernize the product and align it with contemporary security requirements. While the rebranding has been a step forward, further enhancements ar...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Axiad Conductor
October 2025
Axiad Conductor reportDownload Axiad Conductor product report
Buyer's Guide
Symantec Advanced Authentication
September 2025
Symantec Advanced Authentication reportDownload Symantec Advanced Authentication product report
 

Also Known As

Axiad Cloud
CA Advanced Authentication, CA Strong Authentication, CA Risk Authentication, Arcot WebFort, Arcot RiskFort
 

Overview

Axiad Conductor offers a user-friendly platform for managing multifactor authentication and credential lifecycle, supporting seamless transitions to cloud environments for enhanced security compliance and access control.

Axiad Conductor stands out with intuitive management of multifactor authentication systems, assertive device lifecycle management, and a managed cloud solution that streamlines operations. It promotes user self-service for credential updates, minimizing the need for extensive training. With the capability to handle large networks, it enhances efficiency while meeting contract demands. Addressing user suggestions, plans include interface design updates and Canadian hosting, although macOS's frequent updates pose integration challenges.

What are the principal features of Axiad Conductor?

  • "One Click Issuance": Simplifies user enrollment through easy interface actions.
  • Multifactor Authentication: Manages critical authentication processes securely.
  • PKI Support: Facilitates seamless management in PKI environments.
  • Credential Self-Service: Empowers users to handle updates independently.
  • Cloud Management: Reduces operational burdens due to its managed environment.

What should users look for in terms of ROI and benefits?

  • Efficiency: Streamlined operations boost productivity across large networks.
  • Flexibility: Adaptability to meet evolving challenges and contract requirements.
  • User Empowerment: Enables users to manage their credentials autonomously.
  • Compliance: Supports regulation adherence effortlessly.

In diverse industries, Axiad Conductor is implemented to manage multifactor authentication and PKI elements like smart cards and YubiKeys. Organizations leverage it to ensure compliance, facilitate secure workforce access, and transition PKI systems to the cloud, handling substantial volumes of smart card and machine certificates with ease.

Axiad

CA Advanced Authentication provides a secure, user-convenient and cost-effective way to protect online and mobile applications. The solution consists of two components:  CA Risk Authentication allows the enterprise to silently and transparently collect data and assess risk based on device identification, location and user behavior, among other factors, and CA Strong Authentication provides a wide variety of software-based, two-factor authentication credentials and technology to make passwords more secure.  Together they enable an intelligent, layered security approach to protect user identities and organizational data.

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Broadcom
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Global bank, Large Filipino Bank and SK Infosec
Buyer's Guide
Axiad Conductor vs. Symantec Advanced Authentication
September 2025
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