Cequence Security protects APIs and stops malicious bots across billions of transactions, helping the world’s largest enterprises — in telecommunications, financial services, retail, and beyond — secure and scale their digital ecosystems. As their cloud platform grew, they needed an authentication solution that wouldn’t divert valuable engineering resources away from that core vision. Here’s how Descope helped.
About Cequence Security
Founded in 2014, Cequence processes nearly 10 billion API transactions daily, safeguarding over 10 trillion dollars in digital assets and 3 billion user accounts.
Varun Kohli, Chief Marketing Officer at Cequence Security, said:
“Cequence empowers organizations to answer three critical questions: How many APIs do they have? What risks do those APIs expose? And which ones are under active attack — whether from bots, fraud attempts, or business logic abuse? We don’t just provide visibility — we natively detect and stop these threats in real time, without requiring any code changes.”
Cequence Security leverages authentication for several key user types, including:
Cloud platform users: Primary SaaS customers who need immediate value without setting up on-premises deployment.
Event attendees: Participants at in-person events, showcasing proof-of-concept demos where prospects need to experience value quickly.
Multi-tenant customers: Enterprise customers with varying authentication needs across different environments, each requiring specific integrations.
The authentication challenge
As Cequence Security expanded their robust cloud offerings, they encountered several authentication hurdles with their existing solution that diverted valuable engineering resources and time from their core product.
At the same time, a lack of key features saddled Cequence Security with the task of ironing out crucial friction points:
Limited multi-tenancy support: The incumbent solution lacked true tenant structure within their architecture, requiring Cequence Security developers to implement complex workarounds.
Technical debt: Authentication flows required engineering involvement for minor changes, wasting costly developer cycles that would have been spent refining their core offering.
Integration complexity: Different customers across regions and industries required custom documentation (written by Cequence Security) for each integration, creating an ongoing maintenance burden.
Abraham Jeevagunta, Head of Advanced Concepts at Cequence Security, said:
“We had to play around with a lot of stuff—custom claims and other workarounds. [The previous solution] didn’t have true tenant-like structure within their system. We started looking for a solution that made it drop-dead simple for somebody to configure on their side and talk to our IdP.”
The Descope experience
Cequence Security sought a modern authentication solution that would eliminate their old provider’s barriers while allowing their team to refocus on their main offering: API security and Bot Management. They began the journey with Descope after recognizing the platform’s ability to meet the high bar they set for authentication requirements.
Their Descope solution focused on three key elements:
Simplified SSO implementation: Cequence Security needed a system that made integrating with various identity providers straightforward, with backend functionality and documentation handled by the authentication provider rather than their internal teams.
True multi-tenancy support: The ability to properly manage multiple tenants within the authentication solution was essential for Cequence Security’s architecture.
No-code authentication flows: Empowering non-developers to build and maintain authentication journeys would free engineering resources for core product development.
The company began by deploying Descope for their API Discovery product, testing the solution’s capabilities with a segment of real users before rolling out to every customer. Initial implementation took less than a month, with Cequence Security users seeing immediate benefits in the new identity environment.
Hari Nair, VP of Product Management at Cequence Security, said:
“The no-code flows were a game-changer for us. They allowed our UX designers to create seamless integrations, freeing up our core developers to focus on advancing API security. It enabled faster innovation and a better customer experience — all without requiring deep coding expertise at every step.”
Descope’s rich feature set perfectly dovetailed with Cequence Security’s requirements, offering sought-after capabilities:
Comprehensive SDK support: Refined, clear, and up-to-date documentation for SDKs made integration simpler than their previous authentication provider.
Robust authentication options: The ability to offer passwordless authentication through magic and enchanted links satisfied Cequence Security’s desire for high-security, low-friction logins.
Custom styling: Built-in tools that could tailor login screens to meet their specific branding and maintain a consistent customer experience.
Self-service SSO configuration: Documentation and functionality that empower Cequence Security customers to configure their own SSO without requiring hands-on support.
Hari Nair, VP of Product Management at Cequence Security, said::
“Descope met our needs perfectly. The product is easy to deploy, we appreciate the SDK-level customization, and especially the self-service stuff—way better than what [our old provider] has. With Descope, we don’t have to invest tons of developer time helping customers implement SSO over and over again.”
Auth flows as a sales enabler
Cequence Security found an especially innovative use for Descope’s flexible authentication flows: creating custom, event-specific auth experiences. As a regular exhibitor at major cybersecurity trade shows like the RSA Conference, Cequence Security saw the potential for Descope to quickly onboard prospects and demonstrate their platform’s value within minutes.
Using Descope, the team created dedicated authentication flows leading up to trade shows, keeping these exhibition flows sequestered from their main production environment. The event-specific journeys were streamlined to rapidly showcase value, offering authentication paths that route users to specific demo environments.
Varun Kohli, Chief Marketing Officer at Cequence Security, said:
"Trade shows are a great opportunity to get eyes on our product. We can say, ‘Log in, have a cup of tea, and by the time you come back, you’ll see results.’ Descope significantly simplifies that process.”
Outcomes, results, and looking to the future
After implementing Descope, Cequence Security has realized numerous benefits that extend beyond just authentication:
Dramatically reduced support burden: Support calls for SSO configuration reduced by more than 90% following their Descope deployment, with customer self-service becoming the norm.
Empowered non-developers: Non-engineering team members can now build and manage authentication flows without taking focus from the core product.
Enhanced customer onboarding: New customers can now become operational in as little as a few minutes, offering immediate benefits from Cequence Security’s Unified API Protection (UAP) platform.
Streamlined event demos: Customer authentication flows for trade shows allow teams to quickly demonstrate value to prospects, improving lead generation efficiency.
Abraham Jeevagunta, Head of Advanced Concepts at Cequence Security, said:
“I have not seen any customer support calls for single sign-on in the last year and a half. Customers log in to the product, and if they have questions on SSO, our support team highlights where the UI points to the documentation. We rarely hear back from them after they have that.”
Looking ahead, Cequence Security plans to extend Descope across more of their product portfolio, offering the same streamlined and secure authentication experience to their entire UAP platform. Descope’s robust security profile and wide array of customizable elements align with their cloud-first vision, while still ensuring they can serve customers across all deployment models.
Descope is a flexible, drag & drop CIAM platform that helps organizations easily add authentication, authorization, and identity management to their apps. Customers use us for initiatives such as passwordless authentication, SSO, identity federation, strong MFA, identity orchestration, and fraud prevention.
To get started with Descope, sign up for a Free Forever account. If you have questions about our platform, book time with our auth experts.
