Death to the SSO Tax: Why Modern Identity Leaves SAML and SCIM Behind

If you’ve ever tried to enable SSO or user provisioning in a SaaS product, you’ve likely run into two familiar acronyms: SAML and SCIM. They’re old, clunky, and—if you’re a startup trying to support enterprise customers—expensive.

The so-called "SSO tax" isn’t just about software. It’s about time, implementation effort, and all the awkward handoffs between your app, your customers’ IdPs, and the consultants needed to make everything talk.

And here’s the kicker: it’s not getting easier. But it is getting replaceable.

The Case for Change

SAML and SCIM were built for a different world:

• SAML came out in the early 2000s—designed for browser-based login during a time when “cloud” meant Salesforce and not much else.
• SCIM emerged to automate user provisioning, but only if you stuck to its rigid schemas and limited provider support.

Today’s world looks very different:

• We rely on short-lived tokens, automated agents, and microservices.
• We operate in multi-tenant, API-first environments.
• And our users aren’t always humans—they’re AI co-pilots, scripts, or Slack bots.

So it’s no surprise that modern applications—especially AI-native and cloud-native ones—are turning away from the SAML + SCIM stack. Instead, they’re adopting:

• OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect for auth and identity federation
• Public APIs and webhooks for flexible provisioning and deprovisioning
• Event-driven automation and AI agents to handle repetitive identity tasks

This is not just a technical evolution—it’s a financial one. Because every time a vendor tells you “SAML is an enterprise feature,” that’s code for: you’re about to pay a 5-figure premium for something your IdP already supports natively through OAuth.

Why This Matters

For startups and SaaS builders: you don’t need to ship full SAML and SCIM support to offer enterprise-grade access control. If your customers use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, you can leverage OAuth-based SSO that works out of the box—no consultants required.

For IT and security teams: you can stop paying for brittle integrations and group sync logic that only half works. Modern identity architecture is about API access, not checkbox compliance with legacy standards.

For compliance-minded orgs: just because SCIM is a “standard” doesn’t mean it’s the right standard. Many audits care more about what you do (automated provisioning, auditable offboarding) than how you technically implement it.

How YeshID Makes This Real

At YeshID, we’ve built an identity and access platform that’s designed for how companies actually operate today—not how they used to.

Here’s how we help modern teams leave legacy behind:

AI-Native Integrations (No SAML or SCIM Required)

Instead of forcing every app to support SCIM or SAML, YeshID uses AI agents to intelligently connect with apps via the APIs they actually offer—no matter how non-standard. You get provisioning, deprovisioning, and access management without waiting for a vendor to implement a SCIM endpoint.

OAuth-Based SSO with Google & Microsoft

Most modern orgs already use Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra (formerly Azure AD). Instead of paying extra for “enterprise SAML,” YeshID leverages secure, standards-compliant OAuth SSO that just works. No SSO tax. No XML gymnastics.

Workflow Automation Without the Lock-In

YeshID replaces brittle group-based access with policy-driven automation and reusable workflows, so you can enforce least privilege, onboard faster, and stay compliant—without hiring a dedicated IAM team or paying for hours of custom Okta consulting.

Ready for a Modern Identity Stack?

You don’t need to settle for legacy standards, and you definitely don’t need to pay for them. With YeshID, identity becomes accessible, intelligent, and cost-effective—finally.