single sign on vs federated
Secure - sso

Secure SSO- How can it benefit your business

May 3, 2023
Read Time : 8.25 min

Business organisations are continuously increasing integration with third-party applications to improve efficiency and enhance customer experience. To manage all the applications, employees have to log in to all systems separately. It could be a time-consuming task. Also having different credentials for different application logins can be too complex for employees. Additionally, this can become a tedious task for organisations to manage so many identity credentials at the same time. Moreover, these days employees can access applications from different locations, devices and so on. Again this too increases the chance of huge security risk to businesses. So secure SSO has become the need of the present time for enterprises.

Having different identity credentials for each application can be too confusing for employees and business owners. As a result, it can result in authentication problems, downtime errors and many other problems. It can further lead to poor productivity and decrease the efficiency of business operations. So SSO has become the ultimate solution for businesses to manage all their SaaS tools efficiently.

What is secure SSO and how does it work?


SSO or secure single-sign-on is a single authentication session that allows users to access multiple applications like storage, analytics, mail and others with a single set of credentials. It sets up a trust relationship between systems and the password-storing system. This is one of the reasons why SSO is so prevalent in the market right now.

Having a single set of credentials to get access to multiple applications is an advantage for many businesses. Now employees don’t have to memorise multiple credentials while logging into different applications. Also, it allows businesses to have a centralised approach to govern and manage all the user accounts.

Now let's come to the part about how it works. Like any authentication application, the single sign-on performs the same tasks but in a slightly different way. For example, when you are trying to log in to an application, you provide credentials and then it gets verified and you get access. But it only gives access to a single application at a time.

 But in this case, when you try to log into an application, the platform creates a token. Then the SSO database verifies your token and passes it to the application. If you are enlisted in the database, then you get access to the system. Also once you get access to the system, it will give you access to all the connected systems of the organisation. Thus you don’t have to remember multiple credentials to log into different systems.

Is SSO secure?


Now it is a perennial debate whether secure SSO is safe to use. Well, the answer to this question depends on you and how you deploy SSO. It can be said without a doubt that SSO can increase the efficiency of any business. It gives users the freedom to get access to all systems of the organisations with a single set of credentials. Remembering multiple sets of passwords for different applications can be a big headache for users. It also helps to cut down on time and resources spent on helping users with lost passwords. After all, it is not easy to remember all the passwords for different applications. Additionally, secure SSO gives businesses the privilege to maintain and govern all the users on a centralised platform.

Along with all these advantages, SSO has some drawbacks. The main drawback is SSO gives users access to all the systems of the organisations. Now this can pose a serious security risk to organisations. But there are remedies too. To prevent users from getting access to all systems in the organisation, you can get an SSO solution that will provide you with an added authentication session before users log in to the particular systems. Similarly, if you like you can restrict users from getting access to the systems if they are not connected to a secure network.

So these are the advantages and disadvantages of SSO. But the real question is how you deploy SSO. If deployed correctly, it can be a great asset to your organisation. Now it's up to you how you will use SSO to streamline your business workflow.

Which is the real SSO?


Between SSO and SSO, most people think it is one term. But that is completely wrong. Although they sound similar, the terms are completely different from one another. With SSO( single sign-on) you can have a single set of passwords to enter to get access to all the systems including on-and-off-premise applications in the organisation. It sets up a relationship between the password vaulting system and the applications of the organisation.

Now you already know that right? But with SSO ( same-sign-on) you cannot get access to all systems in the organisation at the same time. If you like you can use the same set of passwords. But you will have to log in every time you wish to get access to an application. Hear the password vault system only stores information and does not have any set connections with all the systems in an organisation.



SSO solution or SSO software: Which is better for business?


Now when it comes to differentiating secure SSO software and SSO solutions, there isn’t any difference. It depends on the company or the provider, and what they want to call it. If the company is providing software, then it can be installed as an on-premise application. Similarly, if the provider is offering an SSO solution, then it might suggest it has customisation abilities to craft its solutions according to business needs. Again it depends on how the company or the provider wishes to provide their service. More or less both terms mean the same thing. The main difference might be in the features. But ultimately, the main goal of SSO solutions or software is to provide security management solutions to businesses across any vertical.



How to implement SSO in an organisation?


Again it depends on your business needs. Every business differs from each other in terms of scale, scope, size and many more. So it is difficult to detail the specifics of SSO implementation for a single organisation. Hence, you should be clear about your business objectives and what kind of SSO solution you need. For your convenience, we have listed down some questions that might help you to get the right SSO for your company. So if you are thinking of implementing an SSO solution in your organisation,
then consider the following questions:

Do you need customised SSO solutions? 
Do you need an SSO login user-friendly mobile interface?
What is the scale of your business and what are your requirements?
Do you want on-premise or cloud-based SSO solutions?
How many systems can be integrated with the SSO application?
What exact features do you need for an authentication session?
Can SSO work with a single user? And what is the maximum limit to the number of users using SSO in an organisation?
Can someone change login credentials from the SSO session?
Will SSO make my organisation safe?
What type of customisation features does the SSO provider offer?
Will it help to streamline my business workflow?


Top 3 SSO Solution Providers


1. Invimatic Technologies.


Invimatic provides cloud-based identity management solutions to users. It allows businesses to customise SSO solutions as per their unique requirements. With one user-friendly SSO platform, it manages all the user identities of an organisation. With easy to use and cost-effective pricing model, Invimatic is considered one of the leading identity management solution providers in the market.

2. Microsoft Azure Active Directory.


It is one of the best single-sign-on examples that enables users to get access to all different applications at the same time with Office 365 credentials. It is a cloud-based SSO provider that allows users to get access to Microsoft service and other SaaS tools with a single set of passwords.

3. One Login SSO service.


One Login SSO is one of the popular identity management companies that provide end-to-end solutions to businesses. One login SSO also allows users to securely log into multiple accounts through single credentials. One of the most unique features of one login is its shared login. It allows multiple users to have access to the same account at the same time.

Wrapping up


Security is a big issue in this digital world. So it is very important to choose the security solutions that prevent any kind of data breach. Now when it comes to securing your business, you must leave no stone unturned. SSO can simplify the entire process of security solutions. But to choose the right secure SSO solutions, you must first identify your business needs.  Depending on your business need, choose the best SSO solutions that align with your business objectives. Hopefully, this article has helped you enough to better understand SSO and how it can help your business. 

  • By The Invimatic Editorial Team
  • 03 May, 2023
  • Categories: Secure - SSO