Cloud RADIUS Server for Secure Authentication

Certificates are fundamentally more secure than passwords because they cannot be guessed, shared, or stolen in phishing attacks. With our Dynamic PKI, each certificate is uniquely tied to a user and device, and Cloud RADIUS enforces access by validating the certificate in real-time. Unlike passwords, certificates never travel in plaintext and cannot be reused in credential-stuffing or brute-force attacks. Each access decision is based on proof of identity and device trust, not on the hope that a password hasn't been compromised.

Cloud RADIUS integrates with the identity providers and device management systems you already rely on, including Azure AD/Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace, Intune, Jamf, and more. This integration ensures that authentication decisions are always tied to a verifiable identity and a managed, compliant device. Real-time lookups against your cloud directory guarantee that employees who leave the organization or fall out of compliance lose access immediately, without manual cleanup.

Cloud RADIUS helps organizations meet compliance mandates by enforcing strong, certificate-based authentication and eliminating the use of weak, password-based logins. Because access is tied to verifiable identities and trusted devices, organizations can demonstrate adherence to frameworks like NIST that require robust access control and auditability. With real-time integration into your identity provider and device compliance systems, Cloud RADIUS ensures that only authorized, compliant users maintain access, making it easier to satisfy auditors and reduce regulatory risk.

To help organizations align with modern compliance standards, Cloud RADIUS supports authentication methods designed to prevent credential theft and unauthorized access. Its primary option, EAP-TLS with certificates issued by our Dynamic PKI, eliminates the risks associated with passwords entirely. For regulated industries, Cloud RADIUS also supports Azure AD MFA for step-up authentication, MAC-based authentication for specialized or non-user devices, or SAML-based credential login for employee personal devices.

Unlike self-managed RADIUS or NPS environments, Cloud RADIUS is delivered as a fully managed cloud RADIUS service. SecureW2 handles monitoring, scaling, and updates, backed by up to 99.999% uptime and 24/7 support, reducing operational complexity while maintaining enterprise reliability.

Running your own on-premises RADIUS server is resource-intensive. IT teams must deploy and maintain physical or virtual infrastructure, manage certificates, apply security patches, scale capacity, troubleshoot authentication issues, and integrate the server with modern cloud identity providers.

A cloud RADIUS service eliminates that operational burden by delivering RADIUS authentication as a fully managed cloud service. With a cloud-native RADIUS platform, infrastructure, maintenance, updates, and scaling are handled automatically. Cloud RADIUS also integrates directly with modern cloud identity providers such as Azure AD (Entra ID), Okta, and Google Workspace, as well as device management platforms like Intune and Jamf.

Running NPS or other on-premise RADIUS servers often comes with hidden costs: managing servers, syncing Active Directory, handling updates, and troubleshooting misconfigurations. A cloud RADIUS service eliminates this overhead by delivering RADIUS authentication as a fully managed cloud service, with no on-premises infrastructure required. Integrations with Azure AD, Okta, Google Workspace, Intune, and Jamf work natively without extra connectors, sync servers, or maintenance. It’s cloud-based RADIUS authentication delivered as a service rather than a collection of manual processes.

RADIUS in cloud computing refers to delivering RADIUS authentication services through cloud-hosted infrastructure rather than on-prem servers. A Cloud RADIUS server validates user and device access to networks such as Wi-Fi, VPN, and wired environments using the RADIUS protocol, but without requiring local hardware deployment. In a cloud-based RADIUS model, authentication decisions can integrate directly with cloud identity providers, device management platforms, and endpoint security tools.

The primary difference between a cloud-based RADIUS server and an on-prem RADIUS server lies in infrastructure, scalability, and integration capabilities. An on-prem RADIUS server requires hardware or virtual machines, shared secret management, replication across locations, and ongoing maintenance. A cloud-based RADIUS server eliminates hardware management and provides globally distributed infrastructure with built-in high availability.

LDAP and RADIUS serve different purposes and are not direct replacements for one another. LDAP is a directory access protocol used to query and manage identity information stored in directory services. RADIUS, on the other hand, is an authentication and authorization protocol specifically designed for network access control. In many environments, LDAP and RADIUS work together.