Axiad Conductor vs Symantec Advanced Authentication comparison

Axiad and Broadcom are both solutions in the Authentication Systems category. Axiad is ranked #26, while Broadcom is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.0. Axiad holds a 1.2% mindshare in AS, compared to Broadcom’s 1.3% 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

1,490 Views
626 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Symantec Advanced Authentic...

Read 9 Symantec Advanced Authentication reviews

594 Views
582 Comparison Views

77% willing to recommend

Axiad Conductor

Symantec Advanced Authentic...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 4, 2026

Symantec Advanced Authentication and Axiad Conductor are competing products in identity verification. Symantec is strong in security features, while Axiad's integration capabilities offer an edge, particularly in environments requiring diverse and flexible solutions.

Features: Symantec Advanced Authentication provides multi-factor authentication, adaptive risk-based features, and strong authentication solutions that integrate well with applications. Axiad Conductor's strengths include seamless platform integration, management of authentication requirements for both smart cards and YubiKeys, and robust device lifecycle management.

Room for Improvement: Symantec may need to enhance its integration with modern platforms and improve user experience consistency across devices. Its deployment flexibility can also be limited in certain scenarios. Axiad could focus on simplifying user activation and credential deployment processes, ensuring even smoother onboarding experiences, and potentially reducing costs to make the investment more accessible.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Symantec Advanced Authentication offers simple deployment with reliable support, ensuring a smooth experience for users. Axiad Conductor presents a flexible model that adapts to various environments, supported by strong customer service that smoothens the deployment process and addresses challenges efficiently.

Pricing and ROI: Symantec Advanced Authentication is more budget-friendly, attracting cost-conscious buyers. Axiad Conductor, though requiring a higher initial investment, provides better ROI through its comprehensive features and seamless integration. While Symantec offers competitive pricing, Axiad's superior capabilities warrant the investment for businesses seeking comprehensive solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Axiad Conductor vs. Symantec Advanced Authentication Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Axiad Conductor vs. Symantec Advanced Authentication

December 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

26th

Average Rating

9.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Identity Management (IM) (37th), Privileged Access Management (PAM) (49th), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (29th), Passwordless Authentication (9th), Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) (25th), Insider Risk Management (16th), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (10th), Non-Human Identity Management (NHIM) (14th), Credential Management Systems (CMS) (5th)

Symantec Advanced Authentic...

Ranking in Authentication Systems

17th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

8.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of Axiad Conductor is 1.2%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Advanced Authentication is 1.3%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Authentication Systems Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Symantec Advanced Authentication	1.3%
Axiad Conductor	1.2%
Other	97.5%

Authentication Systems

Featured Reviews

reviewer2230065

Lead Architect at a wellness & fitness company with 10,001+ employees

We have seen increased productivity now that users can self-serve their account recovery

We were looking for a way for users to self-serve and increase productivity. Before Axiad Cloud, every time a user was locked out they would have to call the help desk and wait for someone to call back and help them recover their accounts. Now users can do it themselves and cut down on the time they are down with an expired credential. That was the primary driver for why we looked at using this solution. The biggest benefit is that Axiad Cloud has increased the productivity of the business unit where it has been deployed. Before, we had anywhere between 10 and 15 percent of our users that were, at any given time, not able to sign into their systems because of expired credentials. With the introduction of the solution for that business unit, that number went down. That's a measurable advantage. Users also say it is much easier to use but that is not something that we can measure.

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Umair (Abu Mohaymin) Akhlaque

Group CEO at Flexsolutions

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

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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 features of this solution is that it's a strong authentication solution that's able to integrate with applications."

"One of the most valuable aspects is its remarkable stability."

Cons

"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 would like a more modern look to the portal."

"I'm looking forward to seeing how they move to FIDO U2F as their primary authentication method across all of their solutions."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"We have seen quite a few issues with bugginess. It is indeed pretty buggy and we have had to install some fixes."

"Advanced Authentication talks about the Device ID. But how the device ID is captured, I want to know more about that."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"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."

"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."

"The price is reasonable."

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Large Enterprise	7

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?

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Comparisons

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Okta Platform vs Axiad Conductor

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Axiad Conductor

Compared 14% of the time

RSA SecurID vs Axiad Conductor

Compared 12% of the time

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Thales Authenticators vs Symantec Advanced Authentication

Compared 22% of the time

RSA Adaptive Authentication vs Symantec Advanced Authentication

Compared 22% of the time

CyberArk Certificate Manager vs Symantec Advanced Authentication

Compared 21% of the time

RSA Authentication Manager vs Symantec Advanced Authentication

Compared 18% of the time

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Symantec Advanced Authentication

Compared 18% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Axiad Conductor

January 2026

Download Axiad Conductor product report

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Advanced Authentication

January 2026

Download 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 intuitive management for authentication processes, streamlining tasks like YubiKeys and smart card issuance, catering to organizational needs with a user-centric approach.

Axiad Conductor facilitates credential lifecycle management and multi-factor authentication by simplifying the deployment and management of authentication devices. "One Click Issuance" ensures easy user enrollment in a cloud environment, reducing administrative burdens. While interface enhancements and authenticators' nickname features could improve usability, its approach to managing cryptographic credentials and handling smart cards and YubiKeys stands noteworthy. Although Apple's macOS changes present challenges, Canadian hosting preferences are recognized.

What are Axiad Conductor's main features?

User-Friendly Management: Streamlines the process with minimal steps for issuing devices.
Credential Lifecycle Management: Allows users to self-update and manage credentials with ease.
Managed Cloud Environment: Reduces administrative efforts by addressing needs flexibly.
One Click Issuance: Facilitates easy enrollment and updates of user authentication elements.

What benefits or ROI do users find valuable?

Simplified Deployment: Quick setup and management of authentication devices save time and resources.
Enhanced Security: Robust update and lifecycle management bolster organizational security.
User Autonomy: Self-update capabilities empower users and reduce support overhead.
Regulatory Compliance: Meets stringent compliance needs through effective certification processes.

In industries where multi-factor authentication is critical, Axiad Conductor is widely implemented for internal and contractor workforce authentication, managing PKI on smart cards, and YubiKeys for VPN and local access. The ability to manage smart cards and machine certificates aids in maintaining regulatory compliance, while the transition to cloud-based certificate management streamlines operations and supports seamless integration.

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

December 2025

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