The following sections describe the methods that PingAccess uses to control access and perform system functions. For more information on how you can use PingAccess, see:

The main functionality of PingAccess enables you to protect an application or API. You can:

  • Use PingAccess to protect the application and API resources to which client requests are forwarded.
  • Partition applications for tighter access control through the use of resources.
  • Customize the configuration of site authenticators and authentication requirements to suit the security needs of your organization.
  • Incorporate legacy authentication mechanisms through token mediation.
  • Apply policies to define how and when a client can access target resources.

Customize your identity access management configuration with the following features:

Apply policies
Use policies, made up of rules, set of rules, or groups of rule sets applied to an application and its resources, to define how and when a client can access target sites. Rules are the building blocks for access control and request processing.
Backup and restore
Backup or restore a PingAccess configuration with just a few clicks.
Configure a token provider
You can configure PingAccess to use PingFederate as the token provider or to use a common token provider through the OAuth 2.0 or OpenID Connect (OIDC) protocols.
  • For more information on how to configure a token provider in the PingAccess administrative console, see Token provider.
  • For more information on how to set up a connection between a token provider and PingAccess, see Token Providers.
    Note:

    This section of the documentation provides information on how to configure a few common token providers as the token provider for PingAccess, while the previous link includes information on how to set up PingAccess to connect with the token provider.

Configure administrator authentication
Allow administrators to authenticate with a simple username and password or configure them to authenticate using single sign-on (SSO) or an API in conjunction with PingFederate. For more information, see Admin authentication.
Configure advanced network settings
Create an availability profile to determine how you want to classify a target server as having failed, configure listener ports, define a load balancing strategy, or use HTTP requests to match a served resource with the originating client.
Configure logging
Capture several log types, including those for the engine, security auditing, and cookies. Store logs in Splunk, in an Oracle, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server database, or in a file. For more information, see Log configuration.
Configure single logout (SLO)
End PingAccess sessions easily when used in conjunction with PingFederate managed sessions or compatible third-party OIDC providers. For more information, see Configuring a PingFederate runtime or Configuring OpenID Connect token providers.
Create clusters
Deploy PingAccess in a clustered environment to provide higher scalability and availability for critical services. Place a load balancer in front of the cluster to distribute connections to the nodes in the cluster. For more information, see Clustering in PingAccess.
Customize PingAccess look and feel
Customize and localize the PingAccess pages that your users see, including those for error messages and logout confirmation.
Customize with SDKs
Customize development with SDKs to extend the functionality of the PingAccess server. For more information, see PingAccess Add-on SDK for Java.
Manage certificates and key pairs
Import certificates to establish trust with certificates presented during secure HTTPS sessions. Import or generate key pairs that include the private key and X.509 Attribute Sharing Profile (XASP) certificate required for HTTPS communication.
Manage sessions
Use web sessions to define the policies for web application session creation, lifetime, timeout, and scope. Use multiple web sessions to scope the session to meet the needs of a target set of applications. Web sessions improve the security model of the session by preventing unrelated applications from impersonating the end user.
Manually configure runtime parameters
Use a text editor to modify configuration file settings used by PingAccess at runtime. For more information, see Configuration file reference.
Protect an application or API
Use PingAccess to protect the application and API resources to which client requests are forwarded. Partition applications for tighter access control through the use of resources. Customize configuration of site authenticators and authentication requirements to suit the security needs of your organization.

The developers page contains additional resources for developing applications to work with PingAccess.

Tune performance
Optimize a wide variety of PingAccess components for maximum performance. For more information, see Performance tuning.
Upgrade an existing installation
Upgrade an existing installation using the installer or selectively manage the upgrade process with the PingAccess upgrade utility. For more information, see Installing and Uninstalling PingAccess.
Use APIs
Use the PingAccess APIs to provide a powerful configuration and management experience outside the PingAccess user interface. For more information, see Accessing the PingAccess administrative API.