Ping Identity named leader in Gartner's new CIAM report

Ping Identity has been named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for customer identity and access management, and was positioned highest on Ability to Execute.

The recognition places Ping in the first edition of Gartner's dedicated assessment for customer identity and access management, after previous evaluations were covered under the broader access management category.

Customer identity and access management software helps organisations manage how consumers sign in to digital services and what they are allowed to do once authenticated. Vendors in this segment typically provide tools for identity verification, authentication, authorisation, fraud controls and user journey management.

Ping said its offering combines those functions and extends them to AI-related use cases, including the verification and governance of AI agents acting on behalf of customers. It said this approach relies on orchestration, runtime authorisation and adaptive risk controls to monitor activity while maintaining customer oversight.

The new Gartner category marks a shift in how the market is assessed. Ping has been recognised as a Leader for nine years in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Access Management, but the 2026 report separates customer identity and access management from that broader field.

Andre Durand, chief executive officer and founder of Ping Identity, linked the recognition to changes in the identity market and the growing role of AI in customer interactions.

“Being named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for CIAM is a defining moment for Ping, and something we've been working towards for many years. CIAM is no longer just the front door to digital services; it is the trust layer for every interaction among customers, businesses, and AI agents,” said Andre Durand, chief executive officer and founder of Ping Identity.

Durand also addressed account security and oversight of AI systems acting for users.

“Keeping customer accounts safe from fraud and enabling the agentic channel as AI acts on behalf of people at scale will require we understand who is acting, and what each agent is authorised to do. Ping's CIAM solutions help protect billions of accounts and are designed to secure every interaction without adding friction,” said Durand.

Ping's customer identity products are aimed at organisations managing large volumes of digital users across consumer-facing services. The company said its technology helps secure accounts while reducing barriers in online transactions and account access.

Identity suppliers are increasingly positioning customer identity as part of a broader trust and control framework, rather than as a login tool alone. The emergence of AI agents in commerce and service channels has widened that discussion to include how businesses verify whether software is acting with a customer's approval and within agreed limits.

Ping said the next stage of customer identity involves controlling what both customers and AI agents acting on their behalf can access and do. It said that focus goes beyond sign-in to continuous checks on identity, context and intent during digital interactions.

The 2026 Gartner report was written by Brian Guthrie, Nathan Harris, Steve Wessels and Yemi Davies.