Individual Versus Enterprise IDs

By creating, or using, an IBMid to access an IBM Web site or other service, you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by the below terms, in addition to the terms in the IBM Terms of use and the IBM Privacy Statement account registration page which provides details on how IBM protects your personal data.

Individual Versus Enterprise IDs

Most IBMid accounts are individual IDs, meaning you manage your own account information and access your account through the IBMid login service (i.e. IBMid is the authenticating agency). If you created your account using either the IBMid registration form or using IBM Cloud registration, your ID is most likely an individual ID.

If your account is created using an email address containing a domain owned by an organization which you are employed by, contracted to, or volunteer for, your organization can:
  • inquire about the status of your ID.
  • request your account settings (including your personal information).
  • at its option, convert it to an enterprise ID.
If your account was created as (or is converted to) an enterprise ID, your organization manages your account information. Your organization can also become the authenticating agency for your ID, meaning your identity is “federated” with IBMid and your login is controlled by your organization. When your ID is federated, you will be forwarded to your organization’s login service, where you will enter your authenticating information (ID/password/other – example shown below).
Figure 1. Example Federated Login

Figure 1: Example Federated Login

Important Policies

Use of your IBMid account is subject to our policies. Some of the most important policies include:
  • Account Dormancy: IBMid accounts which have been inactive for over 3 years are subject to automatic deletion. This means that you should login to IBMid at least once every 3 years to keep your account active. (IBM Cloud API key access does not count as an IBMid login.)
  • Rules of Conduct: In the IBM Terms of Use [link] the Rules of Conduct section is particularly important for you to review. Usage which violates the Rules of Conduct may subject your ID to suspension and/or deletion.
A complete listing of IBMid user policies can be found here [link].

Getting Help With Your IBMid

For general support with using your IBMid, please reference our IBMid Support page [link].If you have an enterprise ID which is federated with your organization, you should contact your organization’s helpdesk for assistance with IBMid login.