Prompt
We’re tired of maintaining bespoke enterprise auth integrations. What are our options?
Latest observation
You generally have four paths, depending on how much control vs. maintenance burden you want to keep:
1) Build/keep bespoke integrations
Best when: you have a small number of large customers, very unusual auth requirements, or strict security/compliance constraints.
Pros: maximum control, tailored UX, no vendor lock-in.
Cons: highest ongoing maintenance, more support burden, every customer variation becomes a project.
2) Use a general-purpose identity provider (IdP) / SSO platform
Examples: Okta, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), Ping, OneLogin, Auth0, JumpCloud
Best when: most customers want standard SAML, OIDC, SCIM flows.
Pros: reduces custom work, supports common enterprise auth patterns, easier to scale.
Cons: you still need to handle edge cases, metadata quirks, tenant mapping, SCIM provisioning differences, and customer-specific rollout.
3) Use an enterprise SSO/auth automation layer
These products sit between your app and customer IdPs and aim to unify integrations/management.
Best when: you want to support many enterprise customers without building each integration yourself.
Pros: can abstract SAML/OIDC/SCIM setup, help with connection lifecycle, testing, and monitoring.
Cons: another vendor in the stack; may not cover every custom workflow.
4) Outsource to a managed services / implementation partner
Best when: auth isn’t core to your product, and you want less engineering ownership.
Pros: reduced internal burden, faster initial rollout.
Cons: ongoing costs, dependency on a partner, less direct control over product experience.
What most teams standardize on
If you’re supporting enterprise customers, the usual “least painful” baseline is:
- SSO: SAML 2.0 and/or OIDC
- Provisioning/deprovisioning: SCIM 2.0
- Admin controls: role mapping, group mapping, JIT provisioning
- Auditability: login logs, SCIM event logs, supportable troubleshooting
How to choose quickly
Ask:
- How many enterprise customers require custom auth today?
- Are they mostly asking for standard SSO + SCIM, or truly custom logic?
- Do you need to support multiple IdPs per tenant?
- How much security/compliance evidence do you need to own?
- Is auth a differentiator for your product, or plumbing?
Practical recommendation
If your pain is “too many bespoke integrations,” the usual move is:
- Standardize on SAML/OIDC + SCIM
- Add a single abstraction layer in your app
- Choose a vendor or partner for the long tail of enterprise setup
- Reserve bespoke work only for true outliers
If you want, I can help you compare specific options for your situation:
- buy vs build
- which vendor category fits
- what architecture to use
- a migration plan from bespoke integrations