IBM Security Verify Access vs Microsoft Identity Manager comparison

IBM Security Verify Access vs. Microsoft Identity Manager

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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

IBM Security Verify Access

Ranking in Identity Management (IM)

17th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (15th), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (17th), Access Management (15th)

Microsoft Identity Manager

Ranking in Identity Management (IM)

11th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Identity Management (IM) category, the mindshare of IBM Security Verify Access is 1.5%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Identity Manager is 2.3%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Identity Management (IM) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Identity Manager	2.3%
IBM Security Verify Access	1.5%
Other	96.2%

Identity Management (IM)

Featured Reviews

Ateeq Rehman

Unit Head System Implementor at Allied Bank Limited

Has improved secure user access while managing development through multiple technologies

I have already explained this in my previous call; I don't handle financial terms and commercials. Pricing is generally managed by functional teams and management looking after licensing matters. In Pakistan, vendors such as Oracle and IBM manage account relationships with clients and have tailored pricing models, so I do not have sufficient insights into that aspect.IBM Security Verify Access installation process is not straightforward; it requires underlying specialized knowledge upon which the IBM products are based. The complexity and scalability of the architecture necessitate in-depth technical knowledge and understanding of the system. Thus, installation is not as simple as clicking through; it requires extensive configuration of the underlying application servers, such as IBM WebSphere, where these products are deployed and configured.

Read full review

RameshKumar9

Consultant at IOM - UN Migration

Supports reliable identity management and custom policy design

Microsoft Identity Manager can be improved by integrating it with Entra ID as a SaaS application or by having a cloud-based connector, as it is currently limited to on-prem scenarios, and a combination of both would be a great solution compared to competitors such as SailPoint or One Identity Manager. While the initial setup of Microsoft Identity Manager is not completely complex, migrating or upgrading to a new version can be complex and requires multiple backups to ensure it goes smoothly.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I have found this solution to be really practical and when a user wants to log in, it is effortless and runs smooth."

"It's a good solution for identification and access management."

"The most valuable feature of IBM Security Access Manager, at least for my company, is multi-factor authentication. That's the only feature my company is using. The solution works well and has no glitches. IBM Security Access Manager is a very good solution, so my company is still using it."

"The solution has powerful authentification and authorization. It offers a good way to increase security."

"IBM Security Verify Access, formerly known as ISAM, IBM Security Access Manager, now renamed to ISVA, integrates with central directory services for our organization and provides user management functionality."

"Its stability and UI are most valuable."

"From the integration point of view, it supports SAML, OIDC, and OAuth. For legacy applications that don't have support for SAML and other new protocols, it provides single sign-on access to end-users. From the integration compatibility point of view, it is highly capable."

"The solution has powerful authentification and authorization and offers a good way to increase security."

More IBM Security Verify Access pros

"The integration with other Microsoft ecosystems, such as Graph API, is really cool."

"Very powerful synchronization tool."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the fact that I can use it to track who is sending which email, who is accessing which documents or which files, etc. These tools help me improve security within the enterprise environment."

"The most crucial feature of Microsoft Identity Manager is integration, especially with Office 365. A specific scenario where automation provided by the identity manager was crucial is when customers use hybrid clouds, with resources both locally and in the cloud. They require an easy identity solution across workspaces, local and cloud, integrating cloud identity with local identity sources, supporting single sign-on and authorizations, and ensuring security across applications.Microsoft Identity Manager integrates such local and cloud identity sources, supporting numerous applications."

"It is one of the easiest products to implement, which is one of the main advantages. The integration is easy. Unlike other products, it is not complicated to integrate."

"I would recommend Microsoft Identity Manager to others anytime."

"The best features of Microsoft Identity Manager are its 100% compatibility with Active Directory, the ability to customize IAM policies as required, and its simplicity in design."

"MIM gives a high return on investment."

More Microsoft Identity Manager pros

Cons

"Configuration could be simplified for the end-user."

"IBM Security Verify Access installation process is not straightforward; it requires underlying specialized knowledge upon which the IBM products are based."

"What we'd like improved in IBM Security Access Manager is its onboarding process as it's complex, particularly when onboarding new applications."

"Configuration could be simplified for the end-user."

"The user interface for users and administrators could be improved to make it easier. Automating some functions could also be beneficial."

"The user interface needs to be simplified, it's complex and not user-friendly."

"They can improve the single sign-on configuration for OIDC and OAuth. That is not very mature in this product, and they can improve it in this particular area."

"For small or medium-sized businesses they cannot afford this solution."

More IBM Security Verify Access cons

"Instead of using the connectors from the third-party companies, they should make the Microsoft templates available with this product. If Microsoft would increase the number of the box connectors that would be helpful to all the customers who use it daily."

"Microsoft Identity Manager could be more intuitive in terms of interface."

"It requires a lot of improvements. Microsoft is killing this product and migrating some of the features to Azure AD. The last version of this solution was 2016. If it is going to stay and integrate with Azure AD, its integration needs to be worked on in terms of connectors, etc. It doesn't seem that they are improving it alone. Microsoft wants to integrate it with Azure AD, but the integration is still not complete."

"MIM's reliability could be improved."

"All actions require logging in to the server."

"They have to improve the User Entity and Behavioral Analysis."

"The security could be slightly improved."

"This product was only launched two or three years ago and it is still in the process of becoming stable."

More Microsoft Identity Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It costs about 300K AED for a year. Its pricing is a bit on the higher end, but in comparison to other products in the market, its price is still better. There are lots of other products that are very costly."

"The license and costs depend on the amount range of users you have. For just approximately 2,000 users, the price is practical and fair. However, when you have 20,000 users, it starts to become really expensive, and the discount per user is not attractive enough to go ahead and purchase."

"The product is not expensive. It depends on the number of users."

"When comparing the cost, Microsoft Identity Manager is the best solution because it is free if you have an Azure P2 license."

"The solution is included in the Microsoft E3 license and premium subscriptions of Azure AD."

"My rating for the pricing of Microsoft Identity Manager is average, neither too expensive nor too cheap."

"Microsoft Identity Manager comes with the premium or community license. If the customer doesn't have a premium license, the reseller who sells the licenses of Microsoft to the enterprise can extend the license for the client."

"MIM is free with a Microsoft Azure license."

"The prices can always be improved. I'd rate it a 4 out of 10 in terms of pricing."

"The solution is expensive."

"It is an expensive tool."

More Microsoft Identity Manager pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Insurance Company

11%

Government

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	11

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Security Access Manager?

The tool provides a password vault, single sign-on, and multifactor authentication. It offers various authentication methods like fingerprint integration, one-time passwords, or tokens sent via ema...

What needs improvement with IBM Security Access Manager?

What is your primary use case for IBM Security Access Manager?

We are still using the IBM BPM platform to automate the processes for our organization.I generally use Microsoft Project for project planning and schedule management, especially in relation to Orac...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Identity Manager?

Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Identity Manager, it has a couple of cloud connectors that can sync directly with the O365 admin center, which is good enough, but Entra I...

What needs improvement with Microsoft Identity Manager?

Microsoft Identity Manager could be improved in several areas. The solution uses a batching process that executes at scheduled times, which differs from other vendor solutions. It is missing capabi...

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Identity Manager?

Microsoft Identity Manager is used primarily in the retail business. The implementation is enterprise-level within a national company, specifically at JCPenney, which is a large organization.

Microsoft Entra ID vs IBM Security Verify Access

Comparisons

Compared 10% of the time

Okta Platform vs IBM Security Verify Access

Compared 9% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs IBM Security Verify Access

Compared 6% of the time

IBM Cloud Identity Service vs IBM Security Verify Access

Compared 5% of the time

Ping Identity Platform vs IBM Security Verify Access

Compared 5% of the time

More IBM Security Verify Access Competitors

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs Microsoft Identity Manager

Compared 15% of the time

One Identity Manager vs Microsoft Identity Manager

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Microsoft Identity Manager

Compared 9% of the time

Saviynt Identity Cloud vs Microsoft Identity Manager

Compared 7% of the time

Oracle Identity Governance vs Microsoft Identity Manager

Compared 6% of the time

More Microsoft Identity Manager Competitors

Product Reports

IBM Security Verify Access

Download IBM Security Verify Access product report

Microsoft Identity Manager

Download Microsoft Identity Manager product report

Also Known As

IBM Security Verify Access (SVA), IBM Security Access Manager, ISAM

MIM, Forefront Identity Manager, FIM, MS Identity Manager

Overview

IBM Security Verify Access is a complete authorization and network security policy management solution. It provides end-to-end protection of resources over geographically dispersed intranets and extranets.Provides a wide range of built-in authenticators and supports external authenticators.Provides permit and deny decisions for protected resources requests in the secure domain through the authorization API.Manages secure access to private internal network-based resources by using the public Internet's broad connectivity and ease of use with a corporate firewall system.

IBM

Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) builds on the identity and access management capabilities of Forefront Identity Manager. MIM helps you manage the users, credentials, policies, and access within your organization. Additionally, MIM adds a hybrid experience, privileged access management capabilities, and support for new platforms.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

POST Luxembourg

Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Whole Foods Market

IBM Security Verify Access vs. Microsoft Identity Manager