For Andy Pruitt, chief technology officer for Backstop Solutions Group, an on-demand platform for hedge funds, RSA was the only vendor that worked with the firm's particular integration needs. "They took the space seriously," says Pruitt. "[Other vendors] didn't get it. The integration level we needed was deep because we had to be able to control the administration."

Web-based services, compliance and the continual onslaught of data breaches are fueling the market for stronger authentication. As a vendor with more than 20 years experience, it came as no surprise that RSA Security and its SecurID came on top.

The reasons it edged out its competitors: ease of use, integration and compatibility, according to readers who use the product.

When Backstop Solutions Group started to look at authentication products last July, it brought in a number of vendors. Initial meetings went well, but when Backstop started to get more specific about its needs, "that's when things started to fall apart," says Pruitt. Backstop's development environment was JBoss, "and when you are Java-based there is no comparison [between RSA and other vendors]," Pruitt says.

While Pruitt was willing to make the authentication investment because his users are high net-worth customers, traditionally cost has been a barrier to the market's widespread growth, industry watchers say.