How Freefloat AccessOne Boosts Secure Remote Connectivity

Freefloat AccessOne — Pricing, Licensing & Deployment OptionsFreefloat AccessOne (often styled as Freefloat Access*One or AccessOne) is an access control and identity management solution aimed at enterprises that need centralized authentication, single sign-on (SSO), and secure access to corporate resources. This article explains the common pricing models, licensing options, and deployment methods so IT decision-makers can compare costs and choose the best fit for their organization.

Overview of product positioning and value

Freefloat AccessOne is positioned as a versatile identity and access management (IAM) gateway that integrates with on-premises and cloud applications, supports multi-factor authentication (MFA), and provides SSO and federation services (e.g., SAML, OAuth). Its core value propositions include:

Centralized access control for heterogeneous systems.
Integration with existing directories (Active Directory, LDAP).
Support for modern authentication protocols and legacy applications.
Capabilities for role-based access control (RBAC) and audit logging.

Pricing models

Organizations evaluating AccessOne will typically encounter one or more of the following pricing approaches. Exact figures vary by vendor contract, region, support level, and additional modules; the approaches below describe typical structures used in the IAM market.

1) Per-user (seat) licensing

Charges are calculated based on the number of named users (active accounts) who will use AccessOne.
Common for organizations that desire predictable per-user costs.
Often tiered: lower per-user price for larger user counts.
Add-ons (MFA, advanced reporting, federation connectors) may be priced separately.

Best fit: organizations with a stable, known user base and predictable growth.

2) Concurrent-user licensing

License count is based on the maximum number of simultaneous users connected to the system at any moment.
Can be more cost-effective for large organizations with many occasional or intermittent users.
Requires monitoring to avoid exceeding concurrent limits.

Best fit: environments with many users who rarely access resources simultaneously (e.g., shift workers, seasonal staff).

3) Transaction- or authentication-based pricing

Charges per authentication event, per SSO session, or per API call.
Useful for variable-traffic scenarios and cloud-native deployments where consumption fluctuates.
May complicate budgeting if traffic spikes are unpredictable.

Best fit: SaaS-first organizations or those with bursty authentication patterns.

4) Subscription (SaaS) vs. perpetual (on-prem) licensing

SaaS subscription: recurring monthly/annual fee includes hosting, updates, and basic support.
Perpetual on-prem: one-time license fee plus annual maintenance/support (typically a percentage of license cost).
Hybrid: perpetual license plus optional managed hosting or cloud connectors.

Best fit: choose SaaS for operational simplicity and faster time-to-value; perpetual for capitalized licensing and full control.

Common licensing tiers and add-ons

Vendors typically provide tiered editions to suit different organizational needs. Typical tiers:

Basic / Standard
- Core SSO, AD/LDAP integration, basic reporting.
- Limited connectors and MFA options.
Professional / Enterprise
- Advanced connectors (cloud apps, custom APIs), stronger MFA, RBAC, auditing, and higher support SLAs.
Premium / Compliance
- Dedicated compliance features (detailed audit trails, long-term retention), advanced analytics, professional services options and prioritized support.

Common add-ons:

Multi-factor authentication (SMS, OTP, push, hardware tokens)
Adaptive authentication / risk-based policies
Additional connectors (CRM, ERP, custom SAML/OIDC)
High-availability / load-balancing appliances or licenses
Advanced logging, SIEM integration, and log retention
Training, implementation, and premium support packages

Deployment options

Freefloat AccessOne typically supports multiple deployment architectures to meet different security and operational requirements:

1) On-premises (appliance or virtual appliance)

Deployed within the organization’s datacenter or private cloud (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM).
Full control over data, network placement, and integration.
Requires internal resources for patching, backups, and scaling.

Advantages:

Data residency and compliance control.
Lower latency to internal resources.

Constraints:

Higher operational overhead and capital expense.
Requires architecture for high availability and disaster recovery.

2) Private cloud / IaaS deployment

Deployed on customer-chosen cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP) as VMs or containers.
Offers flexibility and easier scalability than on-prem physical appliances.
Still gives strong control over configuration and data residency.

3) SaaS / Hosted by vendor

Vendor hosts and manages AccessOne. Customers subscribe to the service.
Quick deployment, vendor-managed updates, and simpler scaling.

Advantages:

Reduced operational burden and faster time-to-value.
Bundled support and regular updates.

Constraints:

Less direct control over infrastructure and data; ensure contractual compliance for data handling.

4) Hybrid deployment

Combines on-prem components (for sensitive resources) with cloud-hosted modules (for public apps).
Useful for phased cloud migration or meeting data residency/compliance needs.

5) High-availability and scaling patterns

Active-passive or active-active clusters for redundancy.
Load balancers and geo-distributed instances for global performance.
Autoscaling for SaaS or cloud deployments to handle variable loads.

Cost drivers — what increases price

Number of users (named or concurrent).
Volume of authentication transactions / API calls.
Required connectors or protocol support (custom integrations often cost more).
MFA methods (hardware tokens vs. software push vs. SMS) and number of protected resources.
High-availability setups, disaster recovery, and performance SLAs.
Compliance or audit requirements (longer log retention, third-party audits).
Professional services (implementation, migration, customization) and training.
Support level (standard vs. premium with faster SLAs).

Example pricing scenarios (illustrative, not vendor quotes)

Small company (200 users) — SaaS subscription, basic tier with core SSO and AD sync:
- Monthly per-user fee; estimated low-to-mid three figures per month total.
Mid-sized enterprise (5,000 users) — Subscription or perpetual mixed:
- Mid-tier licensing, MFA add-on, premium support: tens of thousands annually.
Large enterprise (50,000+ users) — Enterprise tier with high-availability, advanced connectors and ⁄₇ support:
- Enterprise agreements often include volume discounts; annual spend can reach low six to seven figures depending on scope.

Procurement and negotiation tips

Clarify whether pricing is per named user, concurrent user, or per authentication — compare apples to apples.
Ask about hidden costs: integration services, connectors, premium support, disaster recovery, and log retention fees.
Negotiate multi-year discounts or enterprise agreements for predictable budgeting.
Request proof of concept (PoC) or trial with representative loads to validate performance and licensing fit.
Validate compliance and data residency guarantees for SaaS offerings (contractual clauses, SOC/ISO reports).
Consider total cost of ownership (TCO): licensing + operations + implementation + training.

Migration and operational considerations

Directory integration: plan synchronization and account lifecycle management.
Authentication flow mapping: catalogue apps and required protocols (SAML, OIDC, LDAP, Kerberos).
Rollout strategy: pilot with a subset of users, then phased rollout to reduce risk.
Logging and SIEM: ensure logs are captured in the format and retention period you need.
Backup and recovery: confirm options for config export, backup schedules, and failover.
Training and documentation: include admin and user training in project scope and budget.

Summary

Choosing the right pricing, licensing, and deployment approach for Freefloat AccessOne depends on user counts, traffic patterns, compliance needs, and whether you prefer operational simplicity (SaaS) or full control (on-prem). Key decisions include license metric (named vs concurrent vs transactions), tier and add-ons required (MFA, connectors, HA), and deployment topology (on-prem, cloud, SaaS, or hybrid). Always request vendor clarifications, test with a PoC, and include implementation, support, and operational costs when comparing options.