Author: Veli-Pekka Vähälummukka, Program Director at Trivore
In organisations that utilise multiple digital services, user authentication is a central issue regarding security, costs, and management. When personnel, customers, or partners move between various systems, Identity and Access Management (IAM) plays a vital role. One decisive component in this ecosystem is OpenID Connect (OIDC).
Even if OIDC is not familiar as an acronym or a technology, I would venture to claim that every one of us has used a service powered by OIDC several times within the last week. If you have logged into a service using bank credentials or read your Gmail, for example, it is highly likely that OIDC was the protocol used to sign you into those services.
OIDC is a modern, standardised protocol that allows user login to be centralised into a single, trusted identity management service. It enables an organisation to manage usernames, permissions, and authentication uniformly, rather than having every application or system implement its own separate login solution.
Who Owns the Users’ Digital Identity?
One critical but often underestimated perspective on authentication is the ownership of the identity. When user management is fragmented across different services and external login systems, the organisation loses control over its user identities—along with visibility, accountability, and the ability to monitor access.
OIDC brings identities back under the organisation’s control. Even if applications come from different vendors or as ready-made services, the identity remains within your own system. Consequently, individual software providers no longer control access to user data.
This provides security, particularly during periods of change. When a service provider changes, the business expands, or a service ends, the organisation maintains continuity. Authentication is not tied to a specific technology or partner; it remains in your own hands.
Cost Savings in Development, Support, and Risk Management
When login is implemented centrally using OIDC, individual applications do not need to contain their own user management. This means less development work, maintenance, and security auditing. Applications simply use the same authentication service, and usernames are managed from a single location.
The need for support is also lightened. One credential, a single sign-on, and clear access rights significantly reduce support requests related to passwords and permissions—which are known to be one of the largest single cost items for IT support.
Risk management becomes more efficient; applications do not handle passwords, and access control occurs centrally. User deactivation, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) are all managed from the same place.
Scalability and Flexibility as Business Needs Change
When authentication is decoupled from individual systems and implemented via OIDC, an organisation can deploy new services, change vendors, or integrate systems more quickly. The identity remains in your hands at all times, and integrations take place in a standardised manner.
This is critical, especially when an organisation grows, operates in a multi-vendor environment, or provides services to different user groups, such as employees, partners, or customers.
OIDC is a Business Decision, Not Merely a Technical Choice
OIDC forms the core of IAM architecture and is a decisive tool in building a secure and scalable digital environment. It allows an organisation to keep user identities under its own control and reduce IT costs in development, support, and maintenance. Furthermore, OIDC improves cybersecurity and reduces risks, accelerates integrations and service deployments, and ensures continuity regardless of service providers.
Ultimately, it is a question of whether an organisation wants to be dependent on individual systems and vendors—or to control its own digital future. OIDC is no longer just a technical standard; it is a strategic choice that determines how flexibly and securely an organisation can operate tomorrow. Therefore, for every new system or service, it is worth ensuring that it supports OIDC robustly and with ease of use.