Why CAEP matters now: introducing the practical guide to Continuous Identity

The OpenID Foundation recently published the final Shared Signals Framework (SSF), the Continuous Access Evaluation Profile (CAEP), and the Risk Incident Sharing and Coordination (RISC) specifications. There has been a steady drumbeat of large technology providers adopting these standards, most recently Google, but also Apple, IBM, JAMF, Okta, SailPoint, and of course, SGNL

The publication of these specifications and the growing adoption are a reflection of the underlying need. Identity teams are under pressure to keep up with a world where security signals—device posture, credential status, incident alerts, risk scores, account updates—change constantly. Yet most of the identity infrastructure enterprises rely on wasn’t designed to react in real time. It was built for a simpler era of logins, not live session changes.

That gap leaves organizations stuck choosing between two bad options: slow, disruptive polling with short-lived tokens, or blind trust that the session is still valid.

The Continuous Access Evaluation Protocol / Profile (CAEP) offers a remarkably efficient and effective solution.

It’s therefore no surprise that today, CAEP and the underlying Shared Signals Framework (SSF) standards have become essential to implementing Continuous Identity across modern environments. They allow systems to notify each other, instantly and asynchronously, when something about a logged-in user or session has changed. Instead of waiting for the next login event or forcing unnecessary reauthentication, CAEP delivers the right signals at the right time so applications can enforce policy as soon as it matters.

To help teams understand how this works and how to deploy it successfully, we’re releasing our new white paper: CAEP Best Practices.

What’s inside the white paper

The white paper breaks down CAEP and SSF in clear, practical terms, covering:

• The basics and why they matter
  A plain-language explanation of CAEP, SSF, RISC, and related standards — and why federated identity alone can’t handle continuous policy enforcement.
• Core SSF concepts
  How subjects, events, and delivery mechanisms work together, and why SSF has become the foundation for modern event-driven identity.
• How CAEP actually works
  A look at how CAEP enables session-aware updates without constant redirects or short-lived tokens — improving both security and user experience.
• The continuous security paradigm
  Why reactive, login-only checks are no longer enough, and how CAEP changes the way identity and security teams think about session management.
• Implementation tips
  Practical guidance for deploying CAEP successfully, including integration considerations, policy design patterns, and operational best practices.

Why this matters for identity and security teams

As organizations push toward Zero Trust, the industry has converged on a shared realization: If your systems can’t react to change in real time, they can’t enforce meaningful security policy.

Password changes. Device health shifts. Privilege escalations. New risk indicators. All of these happen long after the user has logged in.

CAEP enables identity providers and relying parties to stay synchronized, not by cutting sessions short, not by hammering the IdP with constant reauthentication and reauthorization requests, but by sharing only the relevant updates when they matter most.

It’s a shift from authentication events to continuous enforcement.

And it’s one of the key building blocks of Continuous Identity.

Download the full CAEP Best Practices guide

This white paper offers a practical foundation for teams adopting CAEP, whether you’re just starting to explore the Shared Signals ecosystem or preparing to operationalize continuous security at scale.

Download the CAEP Best Practices white paper

Registration is not required to download the white paper.