Use Google IAP when
You want access integrated with Google Cloud services and your chosen Google or external identity model, using the supported hosting or hybrid-routing configuration for your applications.
Google IAP Alternative
Google IAP Alternative for SSO, MFA, and Web-App Access
Simplify private access across your HTTP/HTTPS application portfolio without changing application code. Keep existing application credentials with Datawiza built-in MFA, or connect your identity provider for SSO and MFA.
Best-fit comparison
Choose the access model your applications need
Use Datawiza when
You want a repeatable no-code authentication and policy layer across web applications, with customer-hosted enforcement and a choice between existing-credential MFA and enterprise IdP SSO/MFA.
Scope the migration
Google IAP supports external identities and applications outside Google Cloud; those are not exclusive Datawiza capabilities. Compare the account workflow, policy model, and infrastructure you would operate. Evaluate non-web requirements separately.
Datawiza approach
Two authentication options. One application-access approach.
Use existing application credentials with built-in MFA, or connect a supported identity provider for SSO and MFA. Manage access centrally across your HTTP/HTTPS application portfolio.
Add MFA without replacing application accounts
Keep existing application credentials and add Datawiza built-in MFA. This mode does not require Active Directory, LDAP, or an external IdP; validate enrollment, recovery, and session integration.
Connect your enterprise identity provider
Use supported Entra ID, Okta, Cisco Duo, or Ping integrations for SSO and MFA. Configure the application's identity handoff and account mapping without rewriting its authentication code.
Apply granular policies across web applications
Manage rules for paths, HTTP methods, and available identity or request attributes centrally. Use the same approach across ERP systems, custom applications, internal tools, and portals.
Place enforcement in your environment
Deploy proxies near your applications in on-premises or cloud infrastructure. Browser users need no Datawiza endpoint agent; application traffic does not require a Datawiza-hosted cloud relay.
Comparison
Datawiza vs. Google IAP
Compare the access modes, authentication workflows, policies, and deployment responsibilities you actually need. Product scope and operational fit matter more than a generic feature checklist.
| Criteria | Datawiza Access Proxy | Google Identity-Aware Proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Application scope | HTTP/HTTPS application portfolios across business units and hosting environments. | Supported Google Cloud web resources and external or hybrid backends through supported Google Cloud configurations. |
| Authentication choices | Existing application credentials with built-in MFA, or supported external IdP SSO/MFA. | Google identities, Workforce Identity Federation with external IdPs, or the distinct Identity Platform external-identity mode. |
| Application account integration | Retain app-owned accounts for built-in MFA, or configure a supported IdP-to-application identity handoff. | Match the selected IAP identity mode to the application's user and session model; external identity support alone does not establish app-level SSO. |
| Enforcement and routing | Customer-hosted reverse proxy with centralized cloud management. | Google Cloud enforcement; supported load-balancer backends include external origins. Direct Cloud Run IAP does not require a load balancer. |
| Granular access policies | Path, HTTP method, available user/group attributes, IP address, and time-based rules. | IAM conditions can use URL host/path and context in supported modes; authorization capabilities vary by identity mode and resource. |
| Operational responsibilities | Proxy hosting, certificates, origin restrictions, availability, and application integration. | Google Cloud resource configuration, the selected identity and authorization model, backend connectivity, and origin protection. |
Architecture and evaluation
Validate your deployment and sign-in workflows
Choose the Google IAP identity mode deliberately. Workforce Identity Federation supports external workforce identities with IAM authorization; Identity Platform external identities use a different model and do not use IAM for authorization. Available context controls and MFA behavior depend on the chosen configuration. Datawiza's customer-hosted proxy still requires cloud management and logging connectivity, plus relevant identity endpoints when used. For either design, restrict direct origin access and test sessions, performance, availability, and recovery; deployment location alone does not guarantee a faster or more secure result.
Documentation: Google IAP with Workforce Identity Federation; Google IAP external identities with Identity Platform; Google IAP external and hybrid backends; Direct IAP for Cloud Run; Google IAP context-aware access; Datawiza deployment prerequisites; Datawiza granular access rules.
Confirm account mapping and the attributes available in your selected integration. Proxy policies complement the application's business and record-level permissions. Built-in MFA alone does not create SSO across unrelated application accounts.
For the detailed architecture and rollout discussion, read our Google IAP alternative evaluation guide.
Use cases
A common access approach across your applications
Protect customer and partner portals
Add built-in MFA to accounts already owned by the application without making an external directory or IdP migration part of the project.
Unify workforce web-app sign-in
Connect supported application login patterns to your enterprise identity provider, then apply access rules using the identity context available in that integration.
Use one approach across hosting environments
Deploy customer-hosted proxies across on-premises and cloud applications while managing authentication and policies centrally.
Plan a staged private-access rollout
Pilot representative login flows, test allowed and denied requests, and validate capacity and recovery before expanding across teams and applications.
FAQ
Google IAP Alternative Questions
What is a Google IAP alternative for web applications?
Datawiza Access Proxy combines customer-hosted enforcement with no-code authentication integrations and granular policies across HTTP/HTTPS application portfolios. Keep existing app credentials with built-in MFA, or connect a supported identity provider for SSO and MFA.
Can Google IAP work with Entra ID or Okta?
Yes. Workforce Identity Federation supports external providers such as Entra ID and Okta with IAM-based authorization. IAP also supports a separate Identity Platform external-identity mode. These modes have different authorization and context capabilities, so evaluate the specific configuration instead of assuming Google identities are required.
Can Google IAP protect apps outside Google Cloud?
Yes. Google documents external Application Load Balancers with Internet NEGs for external origins and Hybrid Connectivity NEGs for on-premises or other-cloud backends. This still uses Google Cloud infrastructure. Separately, direct IAP for Cloud Run does not require a load balancer.
Can users keep application credentials without AD, LDAP, or an IdP?
Yes. Datawiza built-in MFA can protect supported existing application-login flows without those services. Validate enrollment, recovery, account removal, and session behavior. Built-in MFA alone does not create SSO across unrelated application accounts.
Can Datawiza support a broader private-access project?
Yes, across HTTP/HTTPS application portfolios, environments, and user populations. Plan proxy availability and policy administration for the rollout, and evaluate non-web protocols separately. Datawiza is not limited to a handful of legacy applications.