Single sign-on (SSO) is a user authentication and session service tool which allows for users to log in just once at the beginning of a session, without having to re-enter their credentials at any point. From the first point of sign-in, a user will be automatically logged into all of the accounts and applications they need during that session.
The concept of single sign-on essentially blends authentication and access control into one tool that aims to streamline a user’s session as much as possible, by removing the fuss of repetitively signing into each and every application they visit.
Put even more simply than that, SSO basically enables users to sign in once to access a range of independent software systems that are connected through a third party, which allows for users to traverse these systems without having to re-enter credentials.
This helps to streamline authentication processes as much as possible, enabling users to be more productive; constant logging in to applications can prove tiresome and annoying at best and a hindrance at worst. And when you consider the number of apps your employees are using each day, it’s easy to see why; according to the Anatomy of Work Index 2021 Report from Asana, the average American employee switches between over 13 apps over 30 times a day. That’s a lot of time wasted on entering credentials.
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How Does Single Sign-On Work?
SSO is achieved through sending “tokens” between the identity provider and the application the user is trying to access. SSO tokens are essentially pieces of information about the user trying to access an application. These tokens carry data about the user, often including the user’s account credentials and some information about the application they’re currently trying to access. The token will also contain some information that indicates the token is from a trusted source.
When a user accesses an application or site at the start of their session, this app or site—referred to as the trust domain—sends a token to the identity provider with some information about the user in order to authenticate them. The identity provider checks whether or not the user in question has been authenticated for this session; if the user has already been authenticated, the identity provider confirms the user’s identity and sends a token to the trust domain. If the user hasn’t already been verified, the user receives a login prompt and must enter their credentials. The identity provider then confirms these credentials and then sends the token to the trust domain.
In both instances, after the user has had their credentials and account validated and the token has been sent to the trust domain, the token is passed through the user’s browser to the domain. Once the token is received, it is then validated, and the user is granted access to the domain. This process continues as the user navigates and switches through each application within the trust domain network.
You can read more about how single sign-on works here: How Does Single Sign-On Work?
Do I Need Single Sign-On?
Why introduce the single sign-on concept to your system for your users? SSO has a wide range of benefits, making it an attractive and handy tool for businesses–particularly those which have multiple applications and systems their users need to access and switch between every day.
Benefits of deploying SSO include:
- SSO saves time: Put simply, less time spent logging in means more time can be funneled towards being productive. Your users have a lot of credentials to remember (for both work and personal life), and they won’t be able to remember every password off the top of their heads–especially when these passwords also need to be long and complex to thwart attackers. SSO removes the fuss of users trying to find and remember passwords, or having to reset them, which results in time wasted on your IT team’s part–and a waste of resources.
- SSO lowers IT costs: For largely the same reasons above, employing SSO saves IT costs from users having to reset forgotten or lost passwords.
- SSO Streamlines The User Experience: How your users find the signing in process and navigation between apps is important. With so many applications they need to juggle for work, smoothing the transition as much as possible boosts productivity and reduces app fatigue.
- SSO enhances security: Login credentials (i.e., usernames and their accompanying passwords) continue to be one of the most sought-after assets for attackers; they grant easy and unfettered access to networks, making them a prime target. Stolen credentials are a huge problem, with 61% of attacks stemming from compromised credentials. By removing multiple passwords from the picture, it reduces the surface area as there’s less potential attack vectors into the network that attackers can use.
- SSO helps with regulations and compliance: SSO can also help companies meet strict compliance regulations concerning data protection, not only by enabling businesses to secure their accounts, but also by allowing them to prove that they’ve taken those steps by offering reporting and documentation on account access controls.
- SSO enhances IAM: SSO is frequently seen as an important part of identity and access management (IAM). IAM is essentially a cybersecurity “architecture” composed of tools, processes, and policies that help to manage user identities, access levels, and permissions within a network. SSO is a frequently seen tool within this architecture, providing a central directory for managing user access at a granular level. SSO can also be used to revoke user access immediately, meaning that certain users can be blocked or prevented from accessing sensitive data as and when it is needed.
Read Next: The Top 10 Single Sign-On Solutions For Business
Features To Look For In A Single Sign-On Solution
So, you and your team have decided to deploy SSO for your business—excellent! Now comes the hard part: choosing your solution. To make it easier, here are a few things that you should look out for before making a purchase.
Customization
No one user has the same requirements as others in their office or team, or even as the person sitting next to them. What applications users should access and what should be available to them via their SSO tool should be highly customizable, so no user has access to an account they don’t need.
In a similar line, there should be strong customization possibilities for each application within your SSO structure. Different employees will have differing levels of access within an application, with some having minor admin privileges and others not. Good SSO solutions will have highly customizable access policies.
User Experience
Your users are the stars of the show here. After all, single sign-on is a tool that is specifically employed to enhance usability. It’s no good to have a single sign-on tool that ends up being clunky or difficult or can’t be tailored to your workforce in the way that they need.
The best vendors on the market offer SSO solutions that allow for easy navigation across apps via an intuitive dashboard for your users. Look specifically for vendors that offer a single dashboard that is both user-friendly and integrates with all applications your users need for their work. These dashboards should be highly customizable, so no user has an account or access to something that they either don’t need or don’t have clearance to access. By extension, if your company has users that are on the move and need to connect from their mobile devices, then the solution should also have a clean and intuitive dashboard that can easily be navigated on mobile devices.
Security
SSO solutions have some security attributes that are worth looking out for, such as granular control over access policies (ensuring breaches don’t happen as a result of someone having access or clearance for apps and data they shouldn’t). Look for solutions that allow for high customization of these policies, allowing policies to be tailored by location, device types, and user groupings.
Some vendors also include multi-factor authentication (MFA) as part of the SSO package, which is a critical feature to look out for. Multi-factor authentication adds an extra authentication step at the point of sign-in, prompting users to reconfirm their identity in addition to supplying their credentials. Having this extra step adds another layer of protection, meaning that if a user’s credentials become compromised, the attacker still won’t be able to access the user’s dashboard without the extra authentication information.
Visibility
Another important one; admins should have full view into the solution, with extensive user access audits and reporting provided. Reporting can help admins understand how users are accessing and using applications and can also highlight any security risks.
Some solutions offer real-time data and reporting into the single sign-on solution so admins can stay on top of who has access to what and when, and be notified when there are anomalies, breaches, or someone has acquired access to something they shouldn’t.
Manageability
SSO’s perks for enhanced user experience and cost savings mean little if the solution is a headache to configure, deploy, and manage. The platform should be easy to integrate with existing workflows, with little input from IT teams once the product is actually up and running–especially as the aim of SSO is to reduce help calls to IT teams.
Some SSO solutions offer self-service password resets via the solution’s Active Directory, allowing for users to reset their passwords without having to go to their company’s IT team to have it done for them.
Reliability
When making a decision, it is also important to look for vendors that don’t have a history of extensive downtime. Your applications should be available to your users 24/7 and having them unavailable can prove costly and negatively impact productivity–which defeats the purpose of having the solution in the first place.
Integration
How integrable the platform is–in all senses of the word and at all levels–is key here. The SSO platform you choose should integrate with every identity provider and application needed by the company. These applications should also be able to be easily integrated into the platform, regardless of whether applications are cloud-native or on-prem, or you have a mix of both.
In addition to being highly integrable with applications, the solution should also be highly integrable with any identity providers your organization is tied to. Identity providers (IdP) are third-party software or cloud systems that manage identities for organizations and trust domains, with most also offering user authentication services. A lot of organizations will already have an IdP in place, so having an SSO solution that can integrate with your existing IdP setup is important.
Summary
In summary, it’s good to keep two things in mind when choosing an SSO solution: how are your users going to find it and how are your IT team going to adapt to it? At its heart, SSO is about reducing costs and improving user experience. It’s no good to deploy an overly complicated solution that negatively impacts both users and admins. Security is also important to consider; while security isn’t the sole focus of SSO, looking for SSO with additional security features is beneficial, as it can help protect your company data against credential-related attacks such as social engineering and brute force.
Keeping in mind the features listed above, companies can strongly stand to benefit from all the perks SSO has to offer. SSO, when done right, can provide a more streamlined, stress-free, and secure login experience for both users and admins alike.
