When to Stop Paying for Auth-as-a-Service
In today's digital age, authentication and identity management (IAM) are essential components of any business's cybersecurity strategy. The market is flooded with various services that offer authentication-as-a-service (aSAAS) solutions, but there's a point where self-hosted authentication infrastructure can pay for itself in the first month. This blog post explores how to calculate your MAU threshold and determine when it's time to consider self-hosting your authentication infrastructure.Understanding MAU and the Cost of aSAAS
The Monthly Active Users (MAU) metric is a crucial measure of a service's popularity. It represents the number of unique users who access a service in a given month. The cost of aSAAS services is often based on the MAU, and the billing model can vary. Some services charge based on the number of active users, while others may charge based on the number of transactions or API calls. For example, a popular aSAAS service might charge $1 per user per month, which means it would cost $10 per month for 10 users. If your business has a MAU of 10 users, you would be paying $10 per month for aSAAS services. However, if your MAU drops below 10 users, you might start to see the cost per user increase.Calculating Your MAU Threshold
To calculate your MAU threshold, you need to consider the cost of aSAAS services and your business's budget. Start by estimating the cost of aSAAS services for different numbers of users. For example, if you estimate that aSAAS services would cost $1 per user per month, your MAU threshold would be 10 users. Next, consider your business's budget. If your budget is $100 per month, you would need to calculate how many users you can support with $100 per month. Using the example above, you would need 100 / $1 = 100 users to support your budget. Finally, consider the time it takes to switch to self-hosted authentication infrastructure. If it takes you 6 months to switch to self-hosted authentication infrastructure, you would need to calculate how many users you can support with $100 per month for 6 months. Using the example above, you would need 100 / $1 * 6 = 600 users to support your budget for 6 months.Why Self-Hosted Authentication Infrastructure Pays for Itself in the First Month
There are several reasons why self-hosted authentication infrastructure can pay for itself in the first month: 1. Cost savings: Self-hosted authentication infrastructure is often more cost-effective than aSAAS services. You can save money on licensing fees, maintenance costs, and integration costs. 2. Control: Self-hosted authentication infrastructure gives you more control over your data and security. You can customize the authentication process to meet your business's needs and ensure that your data is secure. 3. Flexibility: Self-hosted authentication infrastructure is highly flexible and can be easily scaled up or down as your business grows. 4. Customization: Self-hosted authentication infrastructure allows you to customize the authentication process to meet your business's needs. You can create custom policies, roles, and permissions to ensure that only authorized users have access to your systems.Using Bastionary as a Solution
Bastionary is a solution that combines self-hosted authentication infrastructure, billing, licensing, and feature flags platform. Bastionary is a powerful tool that can help you manage your authentication infrastructure and ensure that your users have a seamless experience. Bastionary is highly customizable and can be easily integrated with other tools and systems.Important Notes
Warning: Self-hosted authentication infrastructure requires more technical expertise than using aSAAS services. If you are not comfortable with self-hosted authentication infrastructure, consider using aSAAS services.