What is Unifi Identity (UID)?
A new service by Ubiquiti offers high-tech security to users
Ubiquiti has just released a unified identity platform that helps users at all levels of platform investment conveniently access their distributed consoles and devices. That platform is Unifi Identity or UID.
The key tenants of this new platform include:
- Identity as a service (IAAS)
- UID Wi-Fi
- UID VPN
- Helpdesk
The UID platform solves a problem that the Unifi product line has long had: the large business. In the past, sites were siloed; data had to be entered specifically on an individual basis. Each user had to be set up by entering an email address for each invite. UID aims to solve this problem. A business can set up a UID account and import users through a Single-Sign-On platform like Azure Active Directory, Office 365, or Google Workspace. Users are then able to be assigned permissions and then applied to multiple sites. The beauty of this system is that every Unifi system has the same credentials. An employee can use the same account to log into the camera system, open the door, and sign in to the Wi-Fi network.
Speaking of Wi-Fi networks, let’s look at another feature of UID: secure Wi-Fi. With UID Wi-Fi, users use their account to sign in to the Wi-Fi which makes accounting and authorization much simpler to set up because admins have usernames tied to all devices on the network. According to the company, authentication to a UID network will be one-click, eliminating the need for a password.
Also included is the UID VPN. This service is similar to UID Wi-Fi, except that users will sign into a VPN client. This client then connects to a Unifi Dream Machine located on a remote network. One note is that only Unifi Dream Machines are allowed to run the VPN server at this time. Older hardware like the CloudKey Gen1 and Gen2 devices do not currently support these features and most likely never will due to hardware resource constraints.
There are a number of pricing SKUs, but the free tier will support most enthusiasts. Check out the webpage for more details on the product: https://www.ui.com/uid/
