An intense and unforgettable two days for the OpenID Foundation

The OpenID Foundation was again invited to lead cutting-edge interoperability  demonstrations at the March 2025 Gartner Identity & Access Management Summit in London this week. This time, two Working Groups, Shared Signals and AuthZEN, had a presence. The demand for our sessions far exceeded expectations, making them some of the most attended and well-received presentations at the entire event.

Each demonstration session was packed to capacity – so much so that crowd control became necessary! The sheer level of interest was overwhelming, with participants queuing down the corridors and waiting up to 25 minutes just to get into the room. Attendees ranged from deeply technical professionals to those relatively new to interoperability, highlighting the broad industry appeal and necessity of these innovations.

Over the course of two days, over 200 people attended these sessions, eager to witness the future of authorization and real-time security signaling. It was incredible to see how many firms were integrating and implementing these groundbreaking technologies. We’re proud that these sessions occupied such a unique and forward-looking place at Gartner IAM.

AuthZEN — A vision for the future of digital security

Traditionally, authorization systems have functioned in silos, creating barriers to interoperability. AuthZEN has emerged as a game-changer, much like OpenID Connect did for authentication, by bridging Policy Decision Points (PDPs), identity providers, and API gateways. Its standardization enables organizations to scale while maintaining strong security—a necessity in today’s complex regulatory landscape.

During the event, 15 prominent industry players, including Aserto, Axiomatics, AWS, Cerbos, OpenFGA, Topaz, Rock Solid Knowledge, Sgnl, Amazon API Gateway, Broadcom, Envoy, Kong, Tyk, WSO2 and Zuplo, conducted live demonstrations showcasing how AuthZEN seamlessly integrates multiple systems into a unified security fabric. This approach not only reinforces the principle of least privilege, but also introduces dynamic separation of duties and continuous authorization enforcement, greatly enhancing auditability and compliance.

One of the standout moments was the executive session titled “AuthZEN: The OpenID Connect’ of Authorization." Working Group Chairs Omri Gazitt, CEO of Aserto, and David Brossard, CTO of Axiomatics, took the stage to provide deep insights into the strategic importance of AuthZEN. Their presentation emphasized how the rising number of interoperable implementations since December 2024 signals an “OAuth moment” for runtime authorization—a turning point in the industry. The immense interest from attendees underscored that the industry is ready to move beyond legacy authorization systems and embrace a dynamic, scalable future.

Shared Signals Framework- Strengthening trust in real time

Alongside the success of AuthZEN, the event also celebrated the growing impact of the Shared Signals Framework (SSF) and the Continuous Access Evaluation Protocol (CAEP). These technologies are driving new levels of transparency and reliability in authorization by enabling real-time sharing of security signals.

Led by Atul Tulshibagwale, Corporate Board Member of the OpenID Foundation, WG Co-Chair, and CTO of SGNL, SSF was showcased by nine industry leaders, including SGNL, Google, IBM, Okta, Omnissa, Relock, SailPoint, Thales, and Beyond Identity. Their demonstrations illustrated how SSF and CAEP create a “trust fabric”—a dynamic, interconnected system that enhances security through continuous access evaluation.

Atul Tulshibagwale’s presentation, “Building a Trust Fabric with the OpenID Shared Signals Framework” was another major highlight. The session drew a large audience keen to understand how SSF is reshaping security through proactive, real-time decision-making. The overwhelming turnout reinforced the industry’s commitment to adopting innovative trust-based frameworks for authentication and authorization.

A glimpse into the future of security

The convergence of AuthZEN and Shared Signals at Gartner IAM 2025 marked a pivotal moment in addressing the complex challenges of modern authorization. These technologies are not only robust and scalable, but also agile enough to adapt to evolving security threats and compliance requirements.

For security professionals, IAM teams, and technology architects, these sessions served as a call to action—an invitation to rethink, refine, and revolutionize their authorization strategies. The event provided a valuable forum for the community to discuss, question, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of these standards, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.

Looking back, the energy, the discussions, the live demos, and the sheer enthusiasm of attendees made it clear: AuthZEN and Shared Signals are not just theoretical advancements, they are practical, game-changing solutions already making a significant impact on enterprise security. And the OpenID Foundation is proud to be at the forefront of this transformation.

About the OpenID Foundation

The OpenID Foundation (OIDF) is a global open standards body committed to helping people assert their identity wherever they choose. Founded in 2007, we are a community of technical experts leading the creation of open identity standards that are secure, interoperable, and privacy preserving. The Foundation’s OpenID Connect standard is now used by billions of people across millions of applications. In the last five years, the Financial Grade API has become the standard of choice for Open Banking and Open Data implementations, allowing people to access and share data across entities. Today, the OpenID Foundation’s standards are the connective tissue to enable people to assert their identity and access their data at scale, the scale of the internet, enabling “networks of networks” to interoperate globally. Individuals, companies, governments and non-profits are encouraged to join or participate. Find out more at openid.net.