Compare Identified and Pseudonymous modes

Avanoo can attribute browser activity to a real identity or to an alias controlled by your organization. Both modes support accurate per-user analytics, grouping, and reconciliation across browsers and devices. The difference is whether Avanoo receives the real identity.

At a glance

	Identified	Pseudonymous
Identity sent to Avanoo	The user’s real email address	A stable alias generated by your organization
Per-user analytics	Available under the real identity	Available under the alias
Groups and segments	Available	Available
Cross-device reconciliation	Available	Available
Employee privacy	Real identities are visible in Avanoo	Avanoo cannot resolve the alias to the person
Main responsibility	Keep directory and access controls accurate	Keep the alias generation and private mapping accurate

Choose Identified when

Identified mode is usually the simplest choice when your organization already manages user identities centrally and administrators need named-user visibility. It is a good fit when:

your directory can provide the user’s email address;
administrators need to investigate activity by person;
groups are already managed in an identity provider or directory; and
your organization’s privacy policy allows the service to receive real identities.

Choose Pseudonymous when

Pseudonymous mode is a good fit when you need accurate per-user and group analytics but want to keep the relationship between an employee and their identity on your side. It requires more preparation: your organization generates and manages the aliases and owns the private mapping behind them. Avanoo receives the alias and any configured tags, but never the mapping that reveals the person.

See usage modes and privacy for the responsibilities your organization takes on in each mode.

What about Anonymous mode?

Anonymous mode attributes activity only to a device signature and does not provide per-user analytics, groups, cross-device reconciliation, or nudging. It is a legacy mode and should not be selected for a new deployment without confirming the use case with Avanoo.

Next steps

Use this comparison to choose an identity mode before starting deployment. Once your organization has platform access, the implementation team can follow the deployment instructions for the selected mode.

After platform access is provisioned, open the documentation home to choose the identity method available in your deployment context. When managed browser storage is selected, it points to the single deployment runbook matching your policy delivery system and identity mode.

Review the privacy model for more detail about data handling and organizational responsibilities.