Single sign-on (SSO) is an authentication method that allows organizations to securely authenticate and grant access to users across numerous applications using a single set of credentials.
When a user logs into an SSO service, an authentication token is generated that remembers the user’s verification status. The token is a piece of information that is stored within SSO servers or can even be stored within the user’s browser. When a user then wants to access an application, the app communicates with the SSO server, which passes on the authentication token to verify the user. Once verified, the user is granted access to the app.
By leveraging SSO, organizations can allow users to access most if not all of their applications through a single resource.
Importance of single sign-on (SSO)
Companies that deploy single sign-on are able to implement stronger security controls while improving efficiency. Benefits of SSO include:
- Secure user and seat management: Incorporating SSO allows businesses to enforce stronger passwords, eliminating the risk that comes with simple repeat credentials that open up critical systems to breaches. Furthermore, teams can also use SSO to dictate the length of authentication sessions and efficiently add/remove user access.
- Higher productivity: Users no longer need to request access to apps via IT helpdesks and tickets but rather use a single login page to access necessary productivity and infrastructure tools almost instantly.
- Lower IT effort and overall costs: A significant portion of helpdesk requests are associated with password and access requests. Deploying SSO can not only save your team time but also the price that comes with password resets. Productivity losses to password resets cost the average company around $5.2 million a year.
- Ensuring compliance: Certain frameworks such as Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) and HIPAA require compliant organizations to enforce SSO. Implementing it ensures compliance for related companies as well as those who wish to achieve those standards.
SSO and Access Management
While single sign-on is a great method for managing user access to critical apps within your infrastructure, it is only one piece of the puzzle of solving broader access management within your company.
To truly secure and manage user access effectively, SSO needs to be used as a foundation upon which you can layer additional strategies such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and Multi-factor authentication (MFA). In addition, pairing SSO with access controls, audit logs, and just-in-time (JIT) access is the best way to ensure employee access is being managed with security and efficiency.
