PingID Administration Guide

Using a custom Twilio account with PingID

If you have an existing custom Twilio account, you can configure PingID to use it for SMS or voice authentication.

The following conditions apply:

  • Daily used SMS/voice limits: These limits are not enforced for Twilio accounts. For more information, see SMS and voice usage limits.

  • Billing: You must set up your Twilio billing arrangements before configuring PingID to use your account.

  • Multiple Twilio accounts: If you have several Twilio accounts, you can only use one of them. If you have sub-accounts, you can use either:

    • The main account

    • A single sub-account of the main account

  • Inactive PingID Accounts: Only an administrator can delete a Twilio account configuration in PingID if the PingID account becomes inactive. To delete a custom Twilio account from PingID, see Managing a Twilio account.

  • Preregistering a Sender ID: Customers using a custom Twilio account should be aware that some countries require SMS messages to be sent using a preregistered alphanumeric Sender ID. For information, see Twilio requirements by country.

To configure a custom Twilio account, see Configuring a Twilio account.

To manage a custom Twilio account, see Managing a Twilio account.

Configuring a Twilio account

Before you begin

  • Ensure that you have your Twilio account SID and Auth Token available. You can copy them from the Twilio dashboard.

  • Configure one or more origination phone numbers.

About this task

PingID uses Twilio for voice and SMS. By enabling your own Twilio account, you are taking responsibility for sending SMS and voice messages.

To configure PingID to use a Twilio account:

Steps

  1. In the PingID admin portal, go to Setup → PingID → Configuration.

  2. Go to the Alternate Authentication Methods section and ensure that SMS or Voice is checked.

  3. In the Twilio Account section, select Custom.

    A screen capture of the Twilio Account section. The Custom option is selected. The screen capture also shows the Account SID and Auth Token fields. The Organization Numbers section requires you to select at least one. There are hyperlinks for Show Only Selected and Select All. In the Fallback to Default Account section, the Disable option is selected.

  4. In the Account SID field, enter your Twilio account SID.

    If the SID is less than 34 characters, the following error message is displayed.A screen capture of an error message indicating that the SID is too short.

  5. In the Auth Token field, enter your Twilio Auth Token.

  6. Click Verify Account.

    Result:

    If the account was successfully verified, the Twilio account is validated to PingID, and the Organization Numbers list displays a list of originating numbers from Twilio.

    A screen capture of the Organization Numbers list.

    • If there are no originating phone numbers in the Twilio account, it does not validate to PingID.

    • If the Auth Token is incorrect, PingID displays the following error message.

    A screen shot of an error message due to an incorrect Auth Token.

  7. From the Organization Numbers list, select at least one originating telephone number to use.

    • Twilio allows you to define phone numbers for use with either voice, SMS, or both. PingID uses the same number for both voice and SMS and will relate to the Twilio defined numbers. Twilio numbers that are defined as voice-only or SMS-only are filtered out from the numbers list to avoid operational errors.

    • Twilio allows the use of sender IDs in place of telephone numbers for commercial use or to comply with regulations requiring SMSs to be sent as transactional, rather than promotional.

    When using the PingID account, all originating numbers are defined as transactional with a senderID in Twilio. To achieve the same functionality in a custom Twilio account, you must configure it directly in Twilio. ** PingID does not display sender IDs defined in Twilio. PingID displays phone numbers, as shown in step 6.

  8. To fall back to PingID if Twilio becomes unavailable, in the Fallback to Default Account section, select Fallback to Default Account.

    • The following errors will cause fallback:

      • All API errors, but not SMS delivery errors.

      • No origination number was found on the Twilio account

    • If originating the SMS or voice event with the tenant’s own account and admin did not define a fallback to PingID’s account, the event originates from Ping’s account.

    • If a transaction was charged to a specific account (Ping or custom), subsequent transactions might not be charged to the same account. The account charged for each transaction is determined on an individual basis. PingID always prioritizes the custom account.

    • During fallback, you are billed at PingID’s rates and not at any preferential rates from Twilio. PingID originating numbers and setup parameters are used.

  9. In the Twilio Legal Consent window, click I Consent.

    A screen capture of the Twilio Legal Consent window.

    You are only asked for legal consent when entering a new SID.

  10. Click Save.

Managing a Twilio account

Managing a Twilio account includes changing the originating numbers, fallback settings and updating or deleting a custom account.

About this task

Managing an account includes:

  • Changing active originating numbers and fallback setting (as in Configuring a Twilio account)

  • Changing to another account

  • Deleting the custom account

Steps

  1. In the PingID admin portal, go to Setup → PingID → Configuration.

  2. In the Twilio Account section, from the Organization Numbers list, select at least one originating telephone number to use. A screen capture of the Twilio Account section.

  3. Manage your Twilio account according to the following table.

    Option Description

    Fallback To Default Account

    To default to the Ping Identity Twilio account in the event of an error with your account, in the Fallback To Default Account section, select Enable. This option is disabled by default.

    Change Account

    To switch to a different account, click Change Account. For more information, see Configuring a Twilio account.

    Ping Identity radio button

    To delete the active custom account, click the Ping Identity radio button.

  4. Click Save.