Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions provide users with an easier way to access all of their accounts. Implementing these solutions allows you to access all of your accounts, with just one set of credentials.
When using one of these SSO solutions, you can simply sign in to your SSO provider and gain access to all of your company accounts. When logging in to an application or website, it will check you are signed in with your SSO provider. The SSO provider will confirm with the account that you are the legitimate user, and you will be signed in. After login, the SSO continuously identifies you as being verified, so you can move through the site, and across other accounts seamlessly.
The benefit of Single Sign-On is that users can log-in to accounts easily, without needing to manage multiple different accounts and passwords. It also means that businesses can be sure that users aren’t using easy-to-guess passwords, or reusing passwords across multiple accounts. Single Sign-On helps to save IT departments time, by allowing admins to manage all users and privileges with one centralized admin dashboard. Users don’t have to remember complex passwords, and admins can be sure that only those with the right privileges can access accounts.
This list will explore the top SSO providers for businesses. We’ll consider their unique features, what customers are saying about them, and who they are most suitable for. As many SSO providers offer Single Sign-On as part of a wider identity management suite, we’ll also cover any other features you can expect with each vendors platform.
JumpCloud is a comprehensive Open Directory Platform™ that provides secure, cloud-based SSO capabilities. With JumpCloud SSO, users can access not just work-related applications, but also includes apps that authenticate with LDAP, from IT services (e.g., Jenkins, OpenVPN, or Airwatch) to ticketing and control systems (e.g., Atlassian Jira) to on-premises attached storage systems (e.g., Synology or QNAP), and other IT resources via a single set of credentials. This “one identity per user” feature allows for easier user management and gives admins full vision into the who, what, where, and when of each access attempt, as well as streamlining the login process for end users.
JumpCloud SSO delivers simple and scalable user management that allows administrators to create groups based on employee department or job role, then associate those groups to applications to restrict access and provide appropriate authorizations and permissions. Administrators can save time onboarding by adding a new user to a group and automatically granting them access to associated apps.
Administrators can manage all of their users, access, account provisioning, user deactivation and from a single console and a growing list of SAML and SCIM connectors that enable out of the box integrations with an extensive library of applications.
JumpCloud is used by over 180,000 organizations worldwide and is consistently ranked as a top solution by customers. JumpCloud SSO is available as a standalone solution, or as a bundle with other JumpCloud identity, access, and device management solutions. We would recommend JumpCloud’s SSO solution for SMBs and mid-market companies looking to streamline and tighten account security.
Thales is a well-established technology company, currently providing solutions across critical sectors for more than 30,000 organizations in 68 countries globally. Having acquired identity security company Gemalto in 2019—who, themselves, acquired SafeNet in 2015—this has enabled Thales to leverage Gemalto’s Trusted Digital ID Services Platform as well as the SafeNet Trusted Access solution for their customers. Identity and Security being a key market for Thales, they offer SafeNet Trusted Access as a cloud-based, SaaS, all-in-one identity and access management solution. This solution combines features such as SSO, MFA, and modern access security, while providing a single pane view of your entire organization for admins.
Part of Thales’ SafeNet Trusted Access solution, Smart SSO enables users to log into all their accounts and applications using a single identity, via one centralized portal. Admins can configure granular and flexible scenario-based access policies for each application, that determine the level of authentication required for each login attempt. This works in the background, gathering contextual information on factors such as known devices, location, and previous sessions, without disrupting users. Alongside SSO, users can leverage MFA and passwordless features, to reduce password fatigue while strengthening security. For admins, granular reports can be created and customized seamlessly, and lifecycle administration tasks can be fully automated.
Overall, Thales’ SafeNet Trusted Access is a comprehensive and trusted SSO and authentication solution. Users rate the platform as easy to deploy and manage, user friendly, reliable, providing excellent authentication and visibility across their user base. This makes it suitable across a wide range of use cases. Offering a multi-tier, multi-tenant environment, as well as hundreds of out-of-the-box integrations, this solution is ideal for mid to large Enterprises across all industries—with financial institutions, healthcare and governments being current customers—and organizations looking for an access management solution that offers strong authentication capabilities for numerous user contexts.
ManageEngine, the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, offers ADSelfService Plus – a robust single sign-on (SSO) and password management solution with powerful multi-factor authentication (MFA) capabilities. ADSelfService Plus provides secure access to Windows, macOS, and LinuxOS machines, VPNs, applications, endpoints, and Outlook Web Access (OWA) via secure single sign-on, enforced with multi-factor authentication.
With ADSelfService Plus, organizations can simplify the end-user login experience and secure access to multiple points with secure SSO. By using Active Directory domain credentials, users can easily and securely authenticate their identities across corporate accounts, confirmed with a second factor using one of 18 methods. These include security questions, authenticator apps, hardware security tokens, and facial recognition.
Admins can also configure authentication policies from the admin console to enforce specific methods for specific groups and situations, and ensure users have access to only the right applications and services: a key tenant of Zero Trust. Admins can also create secure custom password policies to add an extra layer of security to their networks by preventing poor password behaviors.
ADSelfService Plus is easy to install and use, with options for server or machine installation and the choice of 64-bit or 32-bit versions. Highly rated by current users for its simplicity, ADSelfService Plus is a trusted solution for larger organizations – especially in finance, IT, healthcare, and government – seeking strong MFA and SSO alongside password management.
Acquired by Cisco in 2018, Duo Security is a market-leading provider of user-friendly authentication and access management solutions. Cisco Secure Access by Duos enables organizations to ensure secure access to all corporate accounts, whilst providing visibility into this access at a granular per-user-level. As well as single sign-on, Duo’s platform also features multi-factor authentication (MFA), remote access and device trust management, and adaptive access policy configuration.
With Cisco Secure Access by Duo, users can securely access all of their native and cloud-based work applications via a single dashboard. From the management console, admins can customize granular access policies at an application level. This includes configuring adaptive and risk-based MFA policies based on contextual login data such as user location, role and device. Cisco Secure Access by Duo produces a risk score for each login based on these factors. For high-risk logins, Duo requires users to verify their identity via integrated MFA. This ensures that only genuine users are accessing corporate accounts, whilst streamlining the authentication process for the end user.
Cisco Secure Access by Duo is cloud-based and hosted by Duo, making it easy to deploy and giving it the flexibility to scale with your organization. The solution also integrates natively with other identity provider tools to enable organizations to create a robust identity security stack. Duo is praised by both end users and IT admins for its ease of use, and is also popular amongst the MSP community, thanks to its multi-tenant dashboard that enables MSPs to manage Duo seamlessly across all of their clients’ devices. We recommend Cisco Secure Access by Duo as a powerful SSO tool for organizations of any size, and particularly those looking for an intuitive, comprehensive authentication and access management platform.
Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is one of the most widely used Single Sign-On applications, enabling users to log into multiple accounts with their Office 365 user details. The platform is a cloud based identity and access management service, which allows employees to sign-in to Office 365, the Azure portal (Azure being Microsoft’s cloud application services) and thousands of other SaaS applications.
Active Directory is used by IT admins to automate user provisioning onto cloud apps, helping to save admins time and making users’ lives easier as they can use their Office 365 account to log into multiple applications. Admins can also enforce multi-factor authentication and protect user identities using Azure AD. Developers can use Azure AD to add single-sign on to their app, so that users can login wither existing credentials. Azure Active directory is automatically used by O365 subscribers, who should have the ability to login to multiple accounts with their Office 365 credentials.
Many Microsoft services require Azure Active Directory for sign-in and help with identity protection, and it’s a great tool for single-sign on capabilities. Customers praise how well Azure Active Directory is integrated with other Microsoft products. Users say that the Single Sign-On is valuable, allowing customers to login to multiple applications without needing to create multiple new accounts.
Okta provides a full suite of cloud-based identity management solutions. Okta allows organizations to manage their users’ identities with an always-on single sign-on platform, that works across all of their corporate accounts. Okta also offers multi-factor authentication, universal directories and API access management as part of a full integration network that allows organizations to improve their identity management and security, as well as making it easier for users to access all of their accounts.
Okta offer a fully featured Single Sign-On solutions. It integrates across all of a users’ web and mobile apps, and is fully customizable. It works across devices, so users can seamlessly use one account across mobile and desktop. Okta also provides self-service password reset, meaning users can quickly regain access to accounts and admins won’t have to deal with time-consuming password reset support tickets. Okta SSO also includes adaptive authentication, which secures access for all users with context-based two factor authentication.
As one of the market leading identity management solutions, Okta is used by 1000s of customers around the world to boost access security. Customers praise Okta for how simple to use the single-sign in is, giving users the ability to log into accounts, wherever they are, with just one set of credentials. Admins also praise how easy it is to add cloud services to the Okta portal to be integrated with single sign-on, and the cost effective pricing of the solution. We’d recommend Okta for businesses looking for an easy to manage SSO solution that’s popular with its users.
OneLogin’s single sign on enables users to secure login to multiple applications with just one username and password, by using the OneLogin platform to authenticate identity across all of your accounts. OneLogin provides a single sign-on portal for users, which shows all of their company and personal accounts that they can use their OneLogin credentials to access. Admins can implement multi-factor authentication across all of a users’ corporate accounts, to ensure that only authorized users get access to the right data. In 2021, OneLogin was acquired by One Identity.
OneLogin provides some unique single sign-on features. It allows users to integrate OneLogin across their endpoint device. This means users can login to their laptop with their OneLogin account, which will automatically give them access to all of their applications via the OneLogin SSO portal. It also supports multiple logins, so that if a user manages multiple WordPress accounts for example, OneLogin makes them available with just one login credential.
Another important feature of OneLogin is shared logins, which make it easier for users to share access to application, allowing the marketing team to all have access to the same Twitter account, for example. This is very popular with users, who report that the ability to log into accounts and share passwords is very easy, without the need for users to know the passwords involved. This improves security posture as it means admins can be sure each account is secure, without making users’ lives difficult. OneLogin is popular with mid-market enterprises, who need the ability to share SSO logins across teams conveniently and securely.
Popular with users since its establishment in 2002, Ping Identity is a market leader in the identity and access management space. Currently managing more than two billion identities globally—including some of the world’s leading organizations—their easy-to-use platform offers a comprehensive stack of solutions, including MFA, SSO, Directory, an admin portal, adaptive authentication policies, and more. The solution is designed for easy cloud deployment and unlimited application integrations, and works across cloud, hybrid, and on-prem environments for all customers, partners, and employees.
Ping Identity’s SSO solution is built to scale and enables staff to access all workspace applications—whether mobile, cloud, enterprise, or SaaS—using one set of credentials, via their centralized employee dock. This federated SSO is designed to work anywhere and from any device, and includes native support for identity standards such as SAML and OpenID Connect tokens, for example. As well as this, the platform leverages artificial intelligence to analyze anomalous login attempts, and can request further verification of the user’s identity if suspicious behavior is detected—such as logging in from an unrecognized device. These policies can be configured by admins via a centralized console, and provide a greater level of assurance that the right users are accessing their accounts.
Users rate Ping Identity’s solution highly, and highlight its reliability and ease of use as well as stress-free configuration. With its focus on scalability, performance, and security, this solution is suitable for large enterprises as well as SMBs, and is well-suited to organizations across all industries—including finance, healthcare, public sector, and more. We’d recommend this solution for organizations looking for scalable, secure, and convenient access to their workspace applications from any device and location.
RSA provides a enterprise grade multi-factor and access management solution. The core functionality of RSA SecurID access is allowing organizations to consistently and centrally enforce dynamic risk-driven access policies. This is delivered through adaptive multi-factor authentication, and Single Sign-On. It’s designed to make user access easier and boost productivity, allowing users to manage all of their accounts with just one web-based portal.
The RSA Single Sign-On solution provides multiple features for enterprise. Using adaptive authentication, RSA validates each Single Sign-On login, helping to keep credential information secure. This means that although you as a user can use your RSA login to access all of your application, if they detect a security risk, you will be asked to verify your identity with multi-factor authentication.
RSA provides an easy-to-manage administration portal, which allows admins to integrate all of the web based and SaaS applications used by an organization to allow users to easily sign in across accounts. Admins can also use their Active Directory passwords to manage this platform. RSA is popular with IT admins, with many praising the seamless integration with common applications and the multiple levels of authentication that can be utilized. It’s popular with enterprise organizations, with many government administrations and Information technology services using the platform.
SecureAuth provides Single Sign-On as part of their identity management platform. It combines single sign-on and adaptive authentication to allow users to log in with one set of credentials to all of their accounts, while using contextual factors to verify user identity. Alongside adaptive authentication and SSO, the SecureAuth platform delivers a full identity cloud, with cloud based analytics and administration for admins to manage all of their users credentials and access.
The SecureAuth SSO platform delivers single sign-on across all on-premise, cloud and legacy email systems. It supports a range of federation protocols, and accounts for businesses that need to add their own, their legacy applications, into their Single Sign-On platform. It also combines SSO with adaptive authentication, which prevents a single point of compromise if the SSO account is breached. The SecureAuth platform helps to improve user productivity, by removing barriers to accounts and making user sign in more seamless.
SecureAuth has a very flexible authentication platform, supporting a wide range of applications with the freedom for organizations to choose between on-prem, cloud and hybrid applications. SecureAuth is popular with customers for it’s easy of deployment, with granular options and integrations. Admins report that it’s easy to administrate, whichever deployment method you choose. SecureAuth is a good option for organizations that need to support Single Sign-On across multiple applications, including legacy and homegrown applications, on-premise and across the cloud.
FAQs
What Is Single Sign-On (SSO)?
Single sign-on enables users to access multiple applications and services with the use of a just a single set of login credentials, usually authenticated via multi-factor authentication to improve login security.
SSO is commonly used in enterprise environments because it both improves security and convenience for employees. Admins can more easily manage which applications users can access, and users no longer have to manage secure passwords for each of their many different corporate accounts and resources.
SSO is often a component of a larger enterprise identity solution, such as the services covered in the list above. These solutions are typically deployed in the cloud, or in the organization’s internal network, and integrate with third-party services to enable seamless deployment across applications.
What Features Should You Look For In A Single Sign-On Solution?
The core functionality of a SSO solution is to enable users to log in to all of their corporate devices and applications easily with just one set of secure login credentials. Alongside this, there are a number of other key features to consider when selecting a SSO solution:
- Secure multi-factor authentication (MFA) to secure the initial login, supporting multiple means such as FIDO tokens, biometrics, OTPs, or hardware keys depending on your security needs
- User identity management and access policies
- Reporting and auditing
- Self-service credential management for end users
How To Choose The Right Single Sign-On Solution?
Choosing the right SSO solution will come down to the unique requirements and use cases for your organization and users, and there are many factors to consider.
The solutions on this list often share many features, but each may have strengths and benefits suited to different industries and organization-sizes.
Key questions to ask internally are:
- What level of security do you require for controlling access to corporate applications? Do you require a hardware token, or is an OTP enough to authenticate access?
- Are you looking for a custom solution for internal applications?
- Are there specific or niche features that you need, such as blocking logins from certain countries or devices?
- What multi-factor authentication solutions will your users support? Do they have personal smartphones to authenticate via biometrics, or is this against corporate policies?
Knowing the specific requirements of your organization when looking for a solution can help you to narrow down the options. As SSO is often delivered as part of a wider identity management solution, it is also important to consider what other access management features your organization needs to secure users and meet compliance requirements.
