One of the most consistently challenging aspects of our work as a consulting agency is the onboarding process with new clients. It’s rarely the paperwork or compliance training that causes delays—it’s the time it takes for our consultants to gain access to the systems necessary to do the work we've been hired for.
This delay often exposes a disconnect between an organization’s vendor management tools and their internal provisioning systems. It becomes immediately clear which clients have streamlined and optimized these processes—and which are still relying on costly, manual, and time-consuming methods. To be fair, some clients have done an excellent job automating onboarding, but in our experience, nearly 70% to 80% still struggle to integrate their systems effectively. What should take a few hours often stretches into days, weeks, or even months. The result? Delayed projects and increased costs—as we’re left navigating an inefficient onboarding maze.
This doesn’t have to be the norm.
Where CIAM solutions manage customer, citizen, or consumer identities, and Workforce IAM (WIAM) handles internal employee identity management, there’s a third, often-overlooked space: B2B IAM—a hybrid identity model purpose-built for managing external business relationships. Sometimes referred to as “Partner IAM,” B2B IAM bridges the internal-external divide by combining the best of CIAM and WIAM. Key capabilities include self-service onboarding, delegated administration, role-based provisioning, workflow automation, and account lifecycle management—all aimed at reducing time to value, improving security and compliance, and enhancing operational efficiency.
Gartner underscores this in its recent publication, “Implementing Effective IAM Practices for B2B Partners”, arguing that B2B IAM is essential for delivering secure, instant access to partners. KuppingerCole echoes this sentiment in “B2B IAM: The Key to Secure Third-Party Access”, highlighting the growing importance of managing third-party access with the same rigor as internal users. Even major IAM vendors like Ping Identity and Thales are adapting their platforms to meet this emerging demand.
Still wondering—is B2B IAM truly something new? Or is it just old IAM dressed up with a new label?
Here’s the truth: According to analysts, vendors, and our hands-on experience in the field, B2B IAM is not a rebrand. It’s a distinct and necessary evolution in identity architecture, built for the complexities of today’s interconnected enterprise landscape.
Here's why:
The following table provides a quick comparison of the distinctions between WAIM, CIAM, and B2B IAM categories.
Category |
Unit of Management |
Admin Model |
Provisioning & Onboarding |
Main Use Cases |
Workforce IAM |
Employees |
Centralized by IT |
HR/IT-driven provisioning (HRIS, etc.) |
Internal access, employee directories |
CIAM |
Consumers |
Self-serve by end-users |
Self-registrations, social login, passkeys |
Consumer apps, mobile/web access |
B2B IAM |
Partner orgs + users |
Delegated, org-aware admin |
Federation, SCIM, JIT, partner-specific flows |
Partner portals, SaaS vendors, extranets |
Thus, B2B IAM is a distinct discipline, architected around multi-organizational identity and access needs. It combines elements from workforce and customer IAM but builds on them with additional federation, delegation, governance, and provisioning layers tailored to organizational boundaries. B2B IAM isn’t just IAM by another name—it’s a specialized, purpose-built evolution designed to solve cross-company identity challenges. It’s not enough to retrofit traditional IAM; you need a platform that recognizes partner organizations, supports delegated control, and handles multi-tenant policies and workflows out of the box.
So who can benefit from B2B IAM solutions?
Insurance carriers often rely on a vast network of independent brokers, agencies, and claims adjusters to sell policies and service customers. These third parties require secure, role-based access to policy management systems, customer data, quoting tools, and claims platforms.
Why B2B IAM Helps:
Car manufacturers work with thousands of franchised dealerships that need access to systems for vehicle ordering, inventory, service history, training portals, and warranty processing.
Why B2B IAM Helps:
Pharma firms collaborate with external research labs, contract manufacturers, distributors, and CROs across drug development and supply chains. These partners require time-sensitive, controlled access to trial data, manufacturing protocols, regulatory portals, and analytics tools.
Why B2B IAM Helps:
Retail chains, hotels, and food service companies often operate across franchises, seasonal staffing models, and contracted labor. These environments involve thousands of non-employee users who need immediate but time-bound access to internal systems, such as scheduling, POS, inventory, and training tools.
Why B2B IAM Helps:
These are just a few of the sectors where B2B IAM isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Any organization that relies on external partners to drive core business functions stands to gain from a modern B2B IAM solution that improves agility, security, and compliance.
Which B2B IAM solution is right for you?
Well, the standard consulting answer applies: it depends. The right approach hinges on your unique partner ecosystem, technical architecture, compliance requirements, and business priorities. At Identity Fusion, we've been helping clients implement partner-focused identity solutions long before the term "B2B IAM" was coined by analysts. Whether you're working with agencies, dealers, contractors, or suppliers, we understand the complexities—and the opportunities—that come with managing external identities.
Let’s figure it out together. Contact us to explore the best B2B IAM solution for your organization and accelerate secure partner access without the delays.