Gartner defines identity verification (IDV) as the combination of activities during a digital interaction that brings a real-world identity claim within organizational risk tolerances. Identity verification capabilities — delivered as SaaS, software or an appliance — provide assurance that a real-world identity exists and that the individual claiming the identity is its true owner and is genuinely present during the digital interaction. The purpose of identity verification is to establish confidence in the real-world identity of a person during a digital interaction when curated credentials do not exist, are not available or do not provide sufficient assurance.
Gartner defines user authentication as the journey-time process that provides credence in a claim to an identity established for a person for access to digital assets. User authentication is delivered by some combination of (a) an authenticator, (b) signals evaluation and (c) an authentication decision point, which may be from different vendors. User authentication is used to provide credence in an identity claim for a person already known to an organization. The credence must be sufficient to bring account takeover (ATO) risks within the organization’s risk tolerance. User authentication is foundational to and protects the value of other functions with an organization’s identity fabric, namely: runtime authorization, especially segregation of duties (SOD); audit (individual accountability); and identity analytics.