The Top 8 Alternatives To Microsoft SSO

Based in Newton, Massachusetts and founded in 1999, CyberArk is a cybersecurity company that was recognized as a market leader in the Identity-as-a-Service sphere by the Forrester Wave in late 2021. Their single sign on tool, CyberArk Identity Single Sign-On, is an intuitive and adaptive tool that utilizes machine learning to analyze user activity and assess risks before executing policies and integrates seamlessly with your existing work stack and applications. It can integrate with almost any SaaS, mobile, and custom apps–including Microsoft applications.

With one set of credentials, users can access everything they need for their work via a streamlined and sleek user portal that consolidates every related app they need for their role and their role alone. The solution can also deliver strong web security capabilities, with the platform providing web session recording and auditing that doesn’t negatively impact the users’ experience. For admins, they can easily configure and set policies per user, group, job function and more. Admins can also set secure “one-click” access capabilities to apps by storing credentials in the CyberArk Identity Cloud or their own hosted CyberArk Vault. Other notable features include application catalogs which contain thousands of already integrated applications (both web and mobile) and templates for any custom apps, a flexible cloud directory, and secure gateways for legacy applications. Multi-factor authentication is also available to strengthen security from the user endpoint, with this feature being highly adaptive and can be reinforced based on device context.

An accessible, flexible, and affordable solution that doesn’t compromise on security, we would recommend CyberArk’s SSO tool for SMBs and enterprises.

Duo is a market leader in the single sign on and other IAM-related spheres. Their contribution to this list is the eponymously named Duo Single Sign on. It is a cloud-based platform which delivers air-tight security and easy, consistent access to all applications for all users, regardless of what device they are using or where they are in the world. It is highly integratable with Microsoft 365, with Duo sharing a Microsoft 365 application for Duo SSO which allows for total integration between Microsoft 365 domains and their SSO tool. The solution is quick and easy to deploy and configure, without disrupting your users’ existing workflows. Applications are integratable whether they are on-prem or cloud-based.

The platform carries strong granular access policy configurations, with endless customization which can be done per user and per application. Admins can customize access policies for every individual application your company uses. They can choose to configure permissions and access for an application depending on how sensitive the data the application holds are, the level of privilege an accessing user has, and the particular device being used to access that application. For end users, they can access all of their applications via a sole dashboard that is user-friendly and intuitive to navigate.

A highly accessible and adaptable platform, we would recommend Duo Single Sign On for SMBs and enterprises.

Another identity and access management specialist on this list, ForgeRock is a popular cybersecurity company founded in 2010 and headquartered in San Francisco, California.The solution itself is a highly intuitive one, utilizing intelligence in order to tailor permissions and access to your most precious apps by harvesting analytics from user devices and user locations. Any high-risk situations can be mitigated through the automatic request for the user to provide further credentials to reconfirm their identity. ForgeRock’s SSO can be enabled across all domains, per domains, and outside your organization through federated SSO. it ensures secure access to all applications, be it cloud, on-prem, third party and more–from a central, unified login point. The tool supports SAML 2.0 and OIDC and is integratable with your Microsoft stack.

The user experience can be tailor made to your company, with admins configuring authentication methods, contextual authentication, and more into the user SSO journey. The solution comes with highly granular policies, allowing for access and permissions to be specified via a number of changeable factors. In addition to delivering streamlined login experiences to company users, the platform can also be used to deliver SSO for others connecting to the network as well such as clients and customers. As such, it is easy to onboard and remove users as and when needed via the dashboard.

Overall, ForgeRock’s SSO solution is well liked by users for its easy implementation and customization, as well as additional learning and development capabilities and opportunities. A powerful and robust solution, we would recommend the tool for larger organizations that have a high number of users that include clients and customers.

JumpCloud is another vendor on this list that is recognized for their directory and identity and access management services. Their contribution to the SSO sphere is JumpCloud SSO. JumpCloud’s SSO is highly integratable with existing work stacks including Zoom, Slack, Google Workspace, Salesforce, and Microsoft 365, and works with any operating system. Streamlined access to any and all apps is secured via SAML 2.0, SCIM, and LDAP. Deployment and configuration can either be done with high levels of customization or through “out the box” functionality with hundreds of pre-configured connectors.

Users can access all of their apps in one place–the JumpCloud User Portal, which is clean and easy to navigate. From their own centralized and consolidated dashboard, admins can easily manage user accounts in applications directly via SAM L JIT and SCIM. They can also configure pass groups, roles, and permissions per specific app. User management is also highly customizable, with admins being able to set individual access controls per users or groups and per job roles. The platform is also secured through the end-users points through multi-factor authentication, which can be done via Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Duo, and much more. Multi-factor authentication can also be enforced based on contextual access policies.

Other notable features include the ability to onboard new users by adding them to preconfigured groups, conditional access policies, and the consolidation of user access to devices, on-prem apps, networks, and VPNs, and more.

Upmarket and powerful, JumpCloud is a robust tool that comes with a small learning curve. We would recommend JumpCloud’s SSO solution for mid-market to enterprise-level organizations.

Headquartered in San Francisco, California and founded in 2009 is Okta, a cybersecurity company known for its strong SSO and other IAM solutions. The solution consolidates access to all portals–including web, on-prem, SaaS, and cloud apps–streamlining the login process by almost removing it entirely from the picture. The platform can easily connect to and sync with most identity stores, AD, LDAP, HR systems and other third-party identity providers. It is quick and easy to deploy, maintain, and configure. It is highly integratable with Microsoft 365.

The Okta Insights feature helps admins be able to identify and block any malicious or anomalous login attempts admins can spot in the network. Admins can view, manage, and secure all users, their identities, and their levels of access with Okta’s SSO from one dashboard with a consolidated view into the entire solution and network. This in-depth insight into the platform also helps admins to consistently apply security policies that are pervasive and adaptive to user behavior. The platform also provides extensive real-time data and analytics reporting, so issues can be quickly troubleshot and dealt with effectively. Pre-built reporting functionality reports on how users are using apps and where any potential risks and breaches might lie. All aggregated data can be shared and synced with SIEMS, downloadable as CSV, and can be accessed via Okta’s APIs.

Strong customization capabilities are also awarded to your end users, who can customize their work dashboard and prioritize their most used and most important work apps. Users can also perform their own password resets, reducing the amount of help desk calls to IT and reducing workload on behalf of your admin team.

Powerful and adaptive, Okta’s SSO works to serve a high number of users while maintaining both security and flexibility. We would recommend Okta Identity Cloud for enterprise level organizations.

Recently acquired by OneIdentity, OneLogin is a cybersecurity subset with a focus on identity and access management solutions. Their high-class solutions and products are favored and geared towards enterprise level organizations. Their SSO solution, OneLogin Single Sign-On, helps to increase productivity and reduce password fatigue for your users while also keeping your data secure. Users utilize one set of credentials in order to access all apps which reside behind a firewall. Users can use the tool from any device, from any location. The platform seamlessly blends password security, granular policies, multi-factor authentication, and context-based access management to make sure that only users who have approved authorization can access your most important and sensitive data. Cloud-native, it is quick and easy to install, deploy, maintain, and configure.

Granular policies can be done per user, per application, and even per type of device. Granular policies can also be applied to the passwords themselves, with admins being able to specify requirements on password length and complexity, restrict password reuse, implement session time out after certain lengths of user inactivity, and implement a self-service password reset to reduce the number of calls to help desks and improve user productivity. Users can consolidate their applications to be directly accessed via the OneLogin SSO portal, meaning that once users are logged into this portal they don’t need to login again to access any company-related corporate apps. Users can also login to OneLogin with their social media credentials, such as those from LinkedIn and Twitter.

Overall, OneLogin’s SSO is a highly intuitive, adaptive, and powerful solution. Minute and granular policy configurations can allow for highly specific and differing policies to make sure no one has access to anything they shouldn’t. As such, we would recommend it for enterprise level organizations.

PingIdentity is a globally recognized market leader in the identity and access management sphere. Their SSO solution, PingOne for Workforce, is a robust yet adaptable and pervasive tool that ensures flexible user access without compromising on your data’s security. Users are granted easy and consolidated access to all of their applications–cloud, SaaS, and more–via a streamlined and intuitive employee dock, which is highly customizable. PingOne is a cloud-native and deployed solution, as is easy to install and deploy with a small learning curve. Configuration and maintenance of the platform is also simple and straightforward. It offers integration with any applications, including on-prem, custom, SaaS, and cloud applications including Zoom, Slack, Zscaler, Microsoft Active Directory, and more. It offers native support for identity standards.

Account compromise and stolen credentials can be mitigated through the implementation of multi-factor authentication which adds an extra layer of security to the sign-in process. This MFA can also be deployed on all devices, anytime and anywhere. Authentication policies can be adaptive, deciding whether or not to enforce authentication based on factors like location, IP address, and geofencing. Granular policies can be configured to adaptively respond to risk assessments based on context, to enforce stricter policies where necessary. New applications can be quickly integrated into the solution and resources, policies, users and more can be managed through centralized management capabilities, supported via central and clean dashboard.

Other features include lightweight directories with REST and SCIM APIs, user onboarding, passwordless authentication, account recovery, visibility into user and client lifecycles, and more.

Powerful, adaptive, and working on a principle of zero-trust makes this solution highly and effectively robust. We would recommend PingOne for Workforce for enterprise-level organizations.

San Francisco-native Rippling, founded in 2016, yet quickly established itself in the identity and access management industry. Their single sign-on solution is a cloud-based tool which works either in-browser or via the mobile app. Access to all apps is secured through one-click, with users accessing a clean and simple dashboard that houses all of the apps they need perform their role. Multi-factor authentication is enforced throughout to add an extra layer of defense to the sign-in process.

Onboarding of new users is also simplified, with admins able to incorporate new users by automatically adding them to every app they need based on their job role, department, or any other predetermined factors so new users are ready to go immediately. Offboarding is also streamlined, with all access to applications immediately terminated, meaning there are no dead or inactive accounts threat actors can leverage. The tool offers extensive insight into user behavior and analytics, detailing the who, what, where and why of access. Admins can view events by attendance, time, and location.

The SSO tool also comes with its own password manager, helping your users be able to effectively manage their passwords and keep them stored securely in an encrypted vault–reducing password fatigue in the process. The password manager is also capable of generating strong passwords, autofilling credentials, supplying two-factor authentication, and can easily be disabled when a user is offboarded.

A powerful yet easily manageable solution, we would recommend Rippling’s SSO solution for SMBs, particularly those of which have a lot of remote or on-the-go users due to its mobile version.