A Short Guide On SSO

Single Sign-On technology, also known as SSO, combines the different applications’ sign-in screens into one. Using SSO, users can undergo a one-time sign-in using their login credentials on a single page to access all their desired SaaS apps.

How Does The Login Work?

During the sign-in process, the SSO system creates a token (authentication token) that validates and verifies the user for the first time and remembers it. This token is digital information stored in the SSO server or the user’s browser. While accessing any app, the SSO software provides the app with the stored authentication token to let the user in. However, the SSO doesn’t store the user identity. It works by checking the user’s credentials against a different identity management service.

Benefits of Using SSO

SSO is known to be highly secure. But how so when a user can sign in with a single password multiple times instead of multiple passwords numerous times? Here are a few reasons:

1. Strong Passwords. Users get to create only one strong password that they will remember. This strong password will be random enough to prevent a brute-force attack.

2. No Password Repetition. Using multiple passwords causes ‘password fatigue’, enabling users to use the same passwords across multiple platforms. This can result in weak security and a higher risk of breaches. SSO eliminates the need for creating numerous passwords and reduces the login to only one.

3. Enhanced Password Policy Enforcement. Since SSO has only one entry option, IT service teams and businesses can easily enforce password security rules. For instance, organizations can easily reinforce the periodic change of passwords because the user will have to reset only one password.

4. Multi-Factor Authentication. MFA (multifactor authentication) means using multiple identity factors to verify the user. For instance, MFA may require the user to enter the code sent to their mobile device and the credentials. MFA is highly secure and reliable, and the user won’t have to rely on their password alone to protect their data. SSO makes the verification process easier by enabling the activation of MFA on the single sign-in option.