Enterprise-ready embedded development: How IAR supports modern security policies

Embedded development is modernizing and security policies aren’t optional anymore.

Enterprise organizations are under constant pressure to strengthen cybersecurity posture, improve governance, and reduce operational risk. This is no longer limited to IT systems and cloud applications it increasingly applies to engineering environments as well.

Embedded development teams are now expected to follow the same security standards as the rest of the enterprise:

• Centralized identity and access management
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Controlled account lifecycle (onboarding/offboarding)
• Compliance and audit readiness
• Secure remote access for hybrid teams

At IAR, we’re aligning our embedded development platform with these modern enterprise security expectations, without slowing down development workflows.

Identity and access: meeting enterprise expectations

Modern enterprise security policies typically begin with one core requirement:

Access must be identity-driven, not device-driven.

Historically, many engineering toolchains relied on device-based license models. These models were difficult to manage securely at scale, especially for global organizations, remote teams, and DevOps-driven automation.

With the IAR embedded development platform, IAR has moved toward a more modern approach:

• Named users (one license per developer)
• Federated login with Microsoft Entra ID
• Cloud-hosted licensing with secure, identity- and token-based authentication
• Centralized management via a self-service portal

This creates a security foundation that better matches enterprise policy frameworks.

Expanded sign-in support: more flexibility with MFA

Many organizations rely on Microsoft Entra ID for single sign-on (SSO) and federated identity management. At the same time, real-world enterprise environments often require additional sign-in options, especially in scenarios such as:

• Segmented development networks
• External contractors
• Teams without Entra ID access
• Subsidiaries with different identity setups
• Transitional onboarding phases

To support these needs, IAR has expanded sign-in capabilities for named users. In addition to Entra ID login, users can sign in using a username and password protected by multi-factor authentication (MFA), a security enhancement recently added to the platform.

This gives organizations greater flexibility while still enforcing strong authentication controls across a wider range of enterprise deployment models.

Why MFA matters in engineering environments

MFA is no longer a “nice to have.” For many organizations, it’s mandatory, especially when tools are accessed remotely or across distributed teams.

MFA supports several common security policy requirements:

• Reduces risk from credential reuse and password leaks
• Strengthens access control without restricting productivity
• Supports audit readiness and regulatory expectations
• Enables stronger governance across remote work environments

By adding MFA-protected username/password login, IAR helps customers meet security policy baselines, even in environments where Entra ID federation isn’t possible.

Cloud-enabled licensing: secure access without customer infrastructure

Enterprise security policies also target operational risk and internal complexity.

A major advantage of the IAR platform is that it reduces the need for customers to operate internal licensing infrastructure.

Key cloud advantages include:

• IAR-hosted license server (no customer infrastructure required)
• Access from any device/location
• Remote development and collaboration support
• Centralized IT license management and control

This reduces internal attack surface and eliminates the overhead of maintaining internal license systems, which often become “shadow IT” over time.

Built for distributed teams without sacrificing governance

Modern embedded development is increasingly global:

• Hybrid teams across time zones
• Collaboration between internal developers and external suppliers
• Parallel workstreams enabled by CI/CD pipelines
• Cross-site development and shared infrastructure

IAR’s platform is designed to support this reality, while strengthening governance and compliance:

• Seamless distributed team collaboration
• Centralized license management
• Flexible licensing that scales with team size and automation needs
• Options for trade-in and parallel adoption

The result: teams can work faster, without bypassing enterprise controls.

Designed for modern workflows: named users + capacity for CI/CD

Enterprise policy alignment isn’t only about how humans log in, it’s also about how automation is controlled.

That’s where the platform’s two-license structure becomes important:

Named User License (Developer license)

• Assigned per developer (not per PC)
• Ideal for local use
• Secured with SSO/MFA
• Managed via self-service customer portal

Capacity License (CI/CD automation)

• Allocates compute resources for compiling, linking, and debugging
• Measured by parallel execution of IAR tools
• Optimized for CI/CD pipelines
• Supports cloud workflows (GitHub, Bitbucket, Azure, etc.)
• Self-service administration for allocating and distributing capacity across teams and projects

This model aligns with how enterprises already think about identity:

• Humans authenticate as named users
• Automation scales via capacity

That’s a much cleaner fit for modern IT governance and security policy enforcement.

Support and onboarding through self-service portal

Enterprise adoption also depends on secure, controlled access to support resources.

IAR customers can manage licensing and access via My Pages, including:

• Licensing information
• Technical articles
• Support cases
• Account and access management

For organizations not yet registered, the IAR Customer Support Team can assist with access setup.

Summary: Secure by design, enterprise-ready by default

With the IAR embedded development platform, IAR is aligning embedded tool access with modern enterprise security policies by enabling:

• Federated login with Microsoft Entra ID
• MFA-secured username/password authentication
• Centralized self-service license management
• Cloud-enabled licensing without customer infrastructure
• Scalable models for both developers and CI/CD automation
• Stronger governance for global and distributed teams

This is about more than licensing, it’s about helping embedded teams operate at enterprise scale, securely.

Want to learn more about identity provider requirements for Named Users?

Access the Technical Note: Identity provider requirements for Named Users or contact the IAR Customer Support Team for guidance on security policy requirements, licensing, and platform access.