This article examines organizations’ critical challenges as they strive to deliver seamless customer experiences while effectively combating fraud. It introduces the concept of Identity Fusion—a unified approach that integrates identity management, verification, and fraud prevention into a single, agile ecosystem. By breaking down traditional silos and leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, Identity Fusion promises not only to reduce risk and improve operational efficiency, but also to enhance trust and drive customer loyalty. The article outlines the five core goals of Identity Fusion, explores its practical benefits, provides real-world use cases, and addresses common implementation hurdles.
By Fabio Sobiecki, Identity Security Strategist, Raise IT
I. Introduction: The Experience-Fraud Tradeoff
The challenge for organizations is clear: providing effortless, seamless customer interactions while guarding against increasingly sophisticated fraud. This creates constant tension, often referred to as the ‘experience-fraud tradeoff,’ where enhancing security can hinder customer convenience, and vice versa. The stakes are considerable, with potential ramifications ranging from revenue losses and reputational damage to regulatory penalties and a decline in customer trust.
Javier Jarava, Director of Iberia and Latin America Systems Engineering at Transmit Security, is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in security solutions. His extensive background, which includes roles at IBM, RSA, and now Transmit Security, has given him a deep understanding of the evolution of identity management and fraud prevention strategies. He is well-equipped to guide organizations through the complexities of the ever-changing threat landscape while meeting the rising customer expectations.
Transmit Security recognizes that the traditional approach of managing identity and security as separate silos is no longer sufficient. Jarava’s IAM Tech Day 2025 talk states, “Our mission is to help these customers eliminate the traditional trade-offs between customer experience and fraud prevention. By doing it in the right way, you can significantly improve business outcomes and agility.” Many vendors talk about something similar, but do not solve the root cause issues that would make this possible. The company advocates for a revolutionary concept known as “Identity Fusion,” a unified approach that seamlessly integrates identity management, identity verification, and fraud prevention into a cohesive whole, promising a new era in customer experience and security.
Identity Fusion promises to resolve the experience-fraud tradeoff by enabling organizations to strike the optimal balance between security and convenience. By breaking down traditional silos and leveraging advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, Identity Fusion empowers businesses to create secure, personalized customer journeys that minimize friction and maximize trust. For instance, it can enable seamless login experiences, reduce the need for repetitive identity verification, and provide real-time fraud detection, enhancing the overall customer experience. Identity Fusion is about preventing fraud and transforming the entire customer experience.
II. The Problem: Siloed Systems and Fragmented Data
For many organizations, the pursuit of robust identity management and fraud prevention has inadvertently led to a fragmented landscape of disparate systems and isolated data silos. This patchwork approach, often built over the years through a combination of legacy technologies and point solutions, creates a complex web of integration challenges and operational inefficiencies. The result is a compromised ability to effectively protect against fraud without sacrificing the customer experience.
As Jarava mentions, “Today, most organizations have many systems for managing end-to-end customer journeys and fraud prevention. This results in fragmented customer behavioral data, user profiles, and risk telemetry, making it difficult to simultaneously optimize customer journeys and fraud prevention.” This fragmentation manifests in several key areas.
First, customer behavioral data becomes scattered across multiple systems, making gaining a holistic view of individual users difficult. Identity and access management tools, identity verification platforms, and fraud detection systems collect their data, often without a precise mechanism for sharing or correlating information. This lack of a unified profile makes assessing risk accurately and personalizing customer interactions challenging.
Second, the inability to optimize customer journeys and fraud prevention simultaneously becomes a significant hurdle. Security measures designed to thwart fraudsters can inadvertently introduce friction for legitimate customers, leading to frustration and abandonment. For example, requiring excessive authentication steps or blocking transactions based on incomplete data can alienate loyal customers and drive them to competitors.
Third, increased integration complexities and costs strain IT resources and budgets. Maintaining many systems and integrations requires significant technical expertise and ongoing maintenance. Organizations can significantly reduce these costs by adopting Identity Fusion, eliminating the need for complex integrations and reducing the number of systems to be maintained. The cost of complexity extends beyond IT, impacting business agility and the ability to quickly adapt to changing market conditions or emerging threats.
Finally, these siloed systems often hinder collaboration between departments such as Line of Business, Fraud, Security, and IT. Each department operates within its bubble, using its tools and data, making sharing insights and coordinating efforts difficult. This lack of collaboration can lead to missed opportunities for fraud prevention and a disjointed customer experience.
Essentially, siloed systems and fragmented data are not just technical challenges but business challenges impacting the entire organization. By failing to unify identity management, verification, and fraud prevention, organizations lose battles against increasingly sophisticated fraudsters while undermining their customer experience.
III. The Solution: Identity Fusion – A Unified Approach
A new paradigm is emerging in identity management and fraud prevention to overcome the challenges posed by siloed systems and fragmented data: Identity Fusion. This innovative approach represents a fundamental shift from managing identity, verification, and security as separate entities to integrating them into a unified whole. Identity Fusion promises to break down the walls between departments, streamline processes, and deliver a seamless, secure customer experience.
At its core, Identity Fusion is about creating a single, integrated platform encompassing all aspects of identity management, from initial onboarding and authentication to ongoing fraud monitoring and risk assessment. This platform is a central hub for customer data, providing a holistic view of each user’s identity, behavior, and risk profile.
Transmit Security champions this approach, advocating for solutions that eliminate the traditional trade-offs between customer experience and security. Jarava says, “To eliminate the experience-fraud tradeoff, organizations need integrated solutions, a single data plane, and big reductions in complexity.”
Key components of Identity Fusion include:
- Integrated Solutions and a Single Data Plane: By consolidating identity management, verification, and fraud prevention tools into a single platform, organizations can eliminate the need for complex integrations and data silos. A single data plane provides a unified view of customer data, enabling more accurate risk assessments and personalized experiences.
- Consolidated Systems for Collaboration: Identity Fusion fosters collaboration between departments by providing a shared platform for accessing and analyzing customer data. This enables teams to work together more effectively to prevent fraud and improve customer experience.
- Unified Data View of Customer and Fraudster Behavior: By combining data from multiple sources, Identity Fusion provides a comprehensive view of legitimate customer behavior and fraudulent activity. This comprehensive view enables organizations to identify patterns and trends that would be difficult to detect using traditional, siloed approaches, providing a robust defense against fraud.
Identity Fusion is not just about technology; it’s also about organizational alignment and process optimization. Organizations must break down internal barriers to successfully implement identity fusion, foster collaboration between departments, and prioritize data integration and security.
By embracing Identity Fusion, organizations can transform their identity management and fraud prevention approach, creating a more secure, efficient, and customer-centric environment. This unified approach reduces the risk of fraud and enhances the overall customer experience, leading to increased loyalty, revenue, and brand reputation.
IV. The Five Goals of Identity Fusion
Transmit Security’s vision for making Identity Fusion a reality is built upon five core goals, each designed to address specific challenges and unlock new opportunities for organizations seeking to transform their identity management and fraud prevention approach. These goals, outlined by Jarava in his talk, provide a roadmap for achieving a unified, secure, and customer-centric identity ecosystem.
First and foremost is the goal to unify and break down traditional silos of IAM, Identity Verification, and Fraud Prevention. In many organizations, these functions operate independently, leading to fragmented data, inefficient processes, and a lack of coordination. By integrating these functions into a single platform, organizations can gain a holistic view of customer identity and behavior, enabling more effective risk management and personalized experiences.
The second goal focuses on reducing integration complexities. Many applications and services characterize the modern digital landscape, each requiring integration with identity management systems. This complexity can be costly, time-consuming, and challenging to manage. Identity Fusion seeks to simplify integration by providing a single access point for all identity-related functions, reducing the burden on IT resources and enabling faster time to market for new applications and services.
Streamlining collaboration is the third key objective. Streamline how the various departments within your organization can collaborate to implement desired use cases and business outcomes. Most organizations have many departments – Line of Business, Fraud, Security, Technology, Software Development, and IT – involved in these identity and fraud prevention processes. Still, they are hampered by many manual handoffs and are each logging into their systems (fraud, development, identity managers) Bringing these stakeholders into consolidated systems that encourage collaboration, streamline processes, and provide unified data view of customer and fraudster behavior, it is much easier to align and achieve business outcomes faster.
The fourth goal centers around embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to achieve the desired speed, costs, and actionable insights. AI has the potential to revolutionize identity management and fraud prevention by automating tasks, improving accuracy, and personalizing customer experiences. By leveraging AI, organizations can detect fraud patterns, assess real-time risk, and adapt security measures to changing threats.
Finally, Identity Fusion aims to align fees with value delivered. Traditional licensing models often fail to align with the realities of large enterprises, where deployments are phased, business requirements change over time, and risk tolerance varies. By offering flexible pricing models that align with the value delivered, organizations can ensure that they are only paying for the services they need and that their interests are aligned with those of their technology partners.
According to Jarava: “Customers require a technology provider that incorporates 5 goal into their approach: Unify and break down traditional silos of Identity and Access Management, Identity Verification and Fraud Prevention…Reduce integration complexities…Streamline how the various departments within your organization can collaborate…Embrace Artificial Intelligence to achieve desired speed, costs, and actionable insights…Align fees with value delivered…Make it easy to get started.”
These five goals provide a comprehensive framework for implementing Identity Fusion and achieving its full potential. By focusing on unification, simplification, collaboration, intelligence, and value alignment, organizations can transform their identity management and fraud prevention approach, creating a more secure, efficient, and customer-centric environment.
V. The Benefits of Identity Fusion
The promise of Identity Fusion extends far beyond simply streamlining identity management and fraud prevention processes. By unifying these critical functions, organizations can unlock many tangible benefits that impact everything from customer experience and security to agility and cost savings. The advantages are significant and far-reaching, touching nearly every aspect of the business.
One of the most significant benefits is an improved customer experience and reduced friction. In today’s competitive landscape, customers demand seamless, personalized interactions. Identity Fusion enables organizations to deliver just that by streamlining onboarding, authentication, and other key processes. Organizations can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty by reducing the need for cumbersome security measures and providing a more intuitive user experience.
Simultaneously, Identity Fusion leads to more effective fraud prevention and reduced risk. Organizations can detect and prevent fraudulent activity more accurately by gaining a holistic view of customer identity and behavior. Integrated risk assessment tools and real-time monitoring capabilities enable organizations to respond quickly to emerging threats and protect their assets and customers.
Jarava declares, “With a single platform and shared data schema, you can easily obtain a consolidated view of customer behaviors and apply precise, risk-based fraud decisions…With a single platform and data layer, you cannot apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to complete data sets to gain omni-channel insights that business, fraud, identity management, and other stakeholders can leverage to optimize and improve.”
Increased agility and faster time to market are also key benefits of Identity Fusion. Organizations can respond more quickly to changing market conditions and emerging threats by simplifying integration and streamlining processes. A unified platform enables organizations to deploy new applications and services faster, giving them a competitive edge in the digital marketplace.
Furthermore, Identity Fusion fosters better collaboration and communication between departments. Organizations can break down internal barriers and improve team coordination by providing a shared platform for accessing and analyzing customer data. This leads to more effective fraud prevention, consistent customer experience, and overall business outcomes.
Finally, Identity Fusion can save costs through vendor consolidation and reduced complexity. By consolidating multiple point solutions into a single platform, organizations can reduce the cost of licensing, maintenance, and integration. A simplified infrastructure also reduces the burden on IT resources, freeing them to focus on more strategic initiatives.
In short, the benefits of Identity Fusion are multifaceted and far-reaching. Organizations can create a more secure, efficient, and customer-centric environment that drives business growth and success by unifying identity management, verification, and fraud prevention.
VI. Real-World Examples and Use Cases
While the concept of Identity Fusion may seem abstract, its practical applications are already transforming how organizations approach identity management and fraud prevention. Across various industries, companies leverage Identity Fusion to streamline processes, enhance security, and improve the customer experience. Here are a few compelling examples:
Streamlining Customer Onboarding and Account Creation:
One of the most common use cases for Identity Fusion is streamlining the customer onboarding process. Opening a new account traditionally involves a series of cumbersome steps, including identity verification, background checks, and manual data entry. By integrating these processes into a single, automated workflow, organizations can significantly reduce the time and effort required to onboard new customers.
For example, a financial institution might use Identity Fusion to verify a new customer’s identity using a combination of document scanning, facial recognition, and biometric authentication. This information can then be automatically cross-referenced with fraud databases and credit bureaus to assess risk and prevent fraudulent account openings.
Reducing Account Takeover Fraud:
Account takeover fraud is a growing threat to organizations of all sizes. By gaining access to a customer’s account, fraudsters can steal sensitive information, make unauthorized purchases, or drain funds. Identity Fusion can help prevent ATO fraud by providing a more comprehensive view of customer behavior and risk.
For instance, an e-commerce company might use Identity Fusion to monitor login attempts, transaction patterns, and device information. Suppose the system detects suspicious activity, such as a login from an unfamiliar location or a large purchase made with a new credit card. In that case, it can trigger additional authentication steps or block the transaction altogether.
Improving Risk-Based Authentication:
RBA is a security strategy that adapts authentication requirements based on the level of risk associated with a particular transaction or activity. Identity Fusion enables organizations to implement RBA more effectively by providing a more granular understanding of customer risk.
For example, an online banking platform might use Identity Fusion to assess the risk of a customer attempting to transfer funds to a new account. The customer can complete the transaction with a simple password if the risk is low. However, if the risk is high, the system might require additional authentication factors, such as a one-time code sent to the customer’s mobile phone or biometric verification.
Personalizing Customer Journeys:
Beyond security, Identity Fusion can also be used to personalize customer journeys and improve engagement. By gaining a deeper understanding of customer preferences and behaviors, organizations can tailor their interactions to meet individual needs.
For example, a retail company might use Identity Fusion to track customer browsing history, purchase patterns, and loyalty program activity. This information can then be used to personalize product recommendations, offer targeted discounts, and provide a more seamless shopping experience.
According to Jarava’s talk: “For example, if the user registers a new account through our service, we have a level of trust with their device and their normal behaviors to automatically consider when our fraud solution is monitoring their future transactions for indicators of account takeover. Another example is that our embedded AI capabilities can dynamically consider every aspect of the customer journey we orchestrate and all prior actions when recommending risk-based step authentication or when a user contacts the call center to request a password change.”
These are just a few examples of how Identity Fusion is being used to transform identity management and fraud prevention. As organizations grapple with the challenges of balancing security and customer experience, Identity Fusion is poised to become an increasingly critical component of their overall business strategy.
VII. The Role of AI and Machine Learning
AI and ML are rapidly transforming the landscape of identity management and fraud prevention, and their role in Identity Fusion is nothing short of revolutionary. These technologies offer the potential to automate tasks, improve accuracy, and personalize customer experiences in previously unimaginable ways. By leveraging the power of AI and ML, organizations can take their Identity Fusion strategies to the next level.
One of the most significant applications of AI in Identity Fusion is analyzing customer behavior and identifying fraud patterns. AI algorithms can sift through vast amounts of data to detect subtle anomalies and correlations that would be impossible for humans to identify manually. For example, AI can analyze login attempts, transaction patterns, and device information to identify potentially fraudulent activity in real-time.
AI can also automate risk decisions and improve accuracy. Traditional risk assessment methods rely on static rules and thresholds, which sophisticated fraudsters can easily circumvent. Conversely, AI can adapt to changing threats and learn from past experiences to make more accurate risk assessments. This enables organizations to implement risk-based authentication strategies that are both effective and customer-friendly.
Furthermore, AI enables the personalization of customer experiences and the reduction of friction. AI can tailor interactions to meet individual needs by analyzing customer preferences and behaviors. For example, AI can personalize product recommendations, offer targeted discounts, and provide a more seamless shopping experience.
Jarava says, “Embrace Artificial Intelligence to achieve desired speed, costs, and actionable insights. At its most basic, most journey building and fraud prevention are software code and rules. AI can natively make journey design, fraud prevention, data analysis, and many other tasks more effective and efficient.”
The benefits of AI and ML in Identity Fusion are clear:
- Improved Fraud Detection: AI can identify fraud patterns that traditional methods would miss.
- Automated Risk Assessment: AI can automate risk decisions and improve accuracy.
- Personalized Customer Experiences: AI can tailor interactions to meet individual needs.
- Reduced Friction: AI can streamline processes and reduce the need for cumbersome security measures.
However, it’s important to note that AI is not a silver bullet. To be effective, AI algorithms must be trained on high-quality data and continuously monitored and refined. Organizations must also ensure that their AI systems are transparent, explainable, and ethical.
Despite these challenges, AI and ML’s potential to transform identity management and fraud prevention is undeniable. As these technologies evolve, they will play an increasingly critical role in Identity Fusion strategies, enabling organizations to create more secure, efficient, and customer-centric environments.
VIII. Overcoming Implementation Challenges
While the benefits of Identity Fusion are compelling, organizations must recognize that implementing this unified approach is not without its challenges. Transforming a fragmented identity management and fraud prevention ecosystem into a cohesive, integrated whole requires careful planning, strategic execution, and a commitment to overcoming potential hurdles. Understanding and developing strategies to address these challenges is crucial for successfully implementing Identity Fusion.
An organization’s first challenge is defining a clear vision and strategy. Identity Fusion is not simply a technology implementation; it’s a fundamental shift in how identity is managed and secured. Organizations must clearly define their goals, objectives, and key performance indicators (KPIs) before embarking on an Identity Fusion project. This includes identifying the specific business problems they are trying to solve, the customer experiences they want to improve, and the security risks they need to mitigate.
Choosing the right technology partners is another critical challenge. The Identity Fusion landscape is complex, with various vendors offering different solutions and capabilities. Organizations must carefully evaluate their options and select partners with expertise, experience, and technology to meet their needs. This includes assessing the vendor’s ability to integrate with existing systems, support evolving business requirements, and provide ongoing support and maintenance.
Fostering collaboration between departments is essential for successful Identity Fusion implementation. As mentioned earlier, Identity Fusion requires breaking down internal barriers and improving team coordination. This can be challenging, as it often involves changing established processes, redefining roles and responsibilities, and overcoming cultural differences. Organizations must invest in communication, training, and change management to ensure all stakeholders are aligned and working towards a common goal.
Prioritizing data integration and security is paramount. Identity Fusion collects, integrates, and analyzes data from multiple sources. This requires careful planning to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and security. Organizations must implement robust data governance policies, access controls, and encryption mechanisms to protect sensitive information and comply with regulatory requirements.
According to Jarava: “Transmit can easily connect them, apply business logic, and share data so that you can continue to deploy your desired customer journeys and apply fraud prevention capabilities. Likewise, orchestration can greatly simplify the transition process from your existing mix of technologies to the Transmit platform rather than having to design a “big bang” approach to the migration.
To overcome these challenges, organizations should consider the following strategies:
- Start with a pilot project: Implement Identity Fusion in a limited scope to test the waters and gain valuable experience.
- Focus on quick wins: Prioritize projects that deliver tangible benefits quickly.
- Invest in training and education: Ensure all stakeholders have the knowledge and skills needed to succeed.
- Establish clear communication channels: Inform all stakeholders of progress and challenges.
- Continuously monitor and refine: Regularly assess the effectiveness of the Identity Fusion implementation and adjust as needed.
By recognizing and addressing these implementation challenges, organizations can increase their chances of successfully adopting Identity Fusion and reaping its many benefits.
IX. Conclusion: Embracing the Future of Identity
As organizations navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape, the need for a unified, secure, and customer-centric approach to identity management and fraud prevention has never been greater. Traditional siloed systems and fragmented data models are no longer sustainable in the face of increasingly sophisticated threats and rising customer expectations. The future of identity lies in embracing a new paradigm: Identity Fusion.
By unifying identity management, verification, and fraud prevention into a cohesive whole, organizations can unlock many benefits, including improved customer experience, more effective fraud prevention, increased agility, better collaboration, and reduced costs. Identity Fusion empowers organizations to balance security and convenience, creating a more secure, efficient, and customer-centric environment.
The journey to Identity Fusion has challenges, but the rewards are worth the effort. By defining a clear vision, choosing the right technology partners, fostering collaboration between departments, and prioritizing data integration and security, organizations can overcome these challenges and successfully implement Identity Fusion.
As artificial intelligence and machine learning continue to advance, they will play an increasingly critical role in Identity Fusion strategies. These technologies offer the potential to automate tasks, improve accuracy, and personalize customer experiences in previously unimaginable ways.
The time to embrace the future of identity is now. Organizations that take the lead in implementing Identity Fusion will be well-positioned to thrive in the digital age, while those that lag behind risk falling victim to fraud and losing customers to competitors.
We encourage you to explore the possibilities of Identity Fusion and take the first step towards transforming your identity management and fraud prevention approach.
Connect with Javier Jarava on LinkedIn: Leverage his expertise and insights to guide your Identity Fusion journey.
Learn more about Transmit Security: Discover how their innovative solutions can help you achieve a unified, secure, and customer-centric identity ecosystem.
Contact us at Raise IT to learn more about how Transmit Security can help you with your business goals.
By embracing Identity Fusion, organizations can create a more secure, efficient, and customer-centric environment that drives business growth and success. The future of identity is here, and it’s time to embrace it.
