Amazon Cognito vs. Tools4ever UMRA

Well Suited

1. B2C mobile and web apps with a high number of users.
2. Cheaper and cost-effective.
3. If the other pieces of the infra are already using AWS services like Lambda, S3, Pinpoint, etc.

Not Suited For:

1. Advanced use-cases (Biometrics based authentication) Email, and other MFA channels.
2. For any use-cases needing SCIM.
3. Customized flows of SSO, and MFA will need a layer on Lambda and other AWS services.

Incentivized

It is very well suited for tying multiple systems and services together, allowing for exchanges of information and account management. I'm not sure of instances that it is not well suited since solution was recommended by folks in education. With that being the case it suited our needs quite well.

• Strong integration with React.js and client-side applications
• Easy to bridge Cognito identities with the rest of the AWS ecosystem
• Easy to store user profile data directly in Cognito rather than having to build additional services/endpoints
• Easy integration with AWS Lambda to extend and add sophistication to the service

Incentivized

• Imports students and staff into our Active Directory and email system.
• It manages those same accounts, disabling accounts for folks who have left, and creating "Windows" when accounts should be enabled.
• It interacts with our Microsoft AD and our student management software seamlessly. Once accounts are in our AD environment, our student management and other systems create new email accounts automatically for us.

• Amazon Cognito has a bit of a learning curve. You need to learn its concepts and terminology. The documentation does not describe some topics comprehensively.
• Some Console screens would benefit from improved search and filtering options.
• When another AWS product (e.g., SageMaker) configures Cognito on your behalf, it is not clear what you're getting. For example, the expiration of a temporary password was configured but never communicated.

Incentivized

• We have been attempting to get single sign on for students, so they have the ability to change their passwords on their own. The documentation of this process is very dated, and often support isn't even aware that their site issues/ references those older documents.
• During the initial buildup of our server Tools4ever UMRA support was a bit hit and miss, but I will say our ongoing support has been very good.
• Some integration tools had to be custom created.

Amazon Cognito is easy to use and implement if you don't need to implement custom policies. But if your security team requires something outside the box, then implementation becomes complicated and you risk wasting time. There is no option for customizable regex for passwords, which is a major deficiency. The standard password policy, allow to choose the length of the password, if it should contains at least one number, one special character, one uppercase letter and one lowercase letter.

Incentivized

Community support is excellent, many times even better and quicker then the offical AWS support. I really cannot recommend community support enough! Apart from that the service is relativily easy to use and does not have a huge learning curve. Examples are easy to follow and will help you start using the service.

Incentivized

They are ideal tools to create a secure and unique login experience for our applications. Thanks to its API authorization, Amazon Cognito ensures connections to applications that are secure.It is easy to use and provides easy access to files and applications that you need to complete your goal.

Incentivized

• ROI is great for Amazon Cognito Overall.
• It is included in the AWS Free Tier so you can use it for a good amount without paying, so the software can be tested beforehand.
• The paid pricing is also affordable, so a positive impact on ROI.

Incentivized

• We save considerable work hours by a multitude of staff having the system manage and generate accounts for us on a daily basis.
• We have some peace of mind knowing accounts for staff and students who leave our district can no longer gain access to our systems because it automatically disables those accounts.
• Because of the way the system interacts with input that is put in, it automatically creates logical positions which dictate different levels, meaning it automatically sets up when staff gain access and lose access depending on the position they are filling.