One password for this app. Another for that device. An IT team constantly fielding login reset requests. If that’s your business’s daily reality, Single Sign-On could be just the thing you’re looking for.
This already widely-used authentication scheme means you only need a single ID to log onto a whole bunch of individual (though related) bits of software.
How can you start using this amazing miracle cure for your password woes? Read on:
What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?
Single Sign-On (abbreviated as SSO) lets you use one set of login credentials – one password and one username – to unlock all of the other software your team needs in their work.
If you’ve ever used your Google or Facebook account to sign into another system or app, you’ve already used Single Sign-On – possibly without realising it.
Now imagine the ease of having just a single set of details to remember for all of the different apps, devices, and programs you use every day at work.
Multiply that organisation-wide, and you understand just how useful SSO can be.
Why use Single Sign-On?
1) It’s hugely convenient
When you get into work tomorrow morning and you need to log in to a bunch of accounts just to start your working day, think of SSO and how simple it could all be.
You can’t put a price on the convenience SSO provides. Well. Actually, maybe you can…
2) It saves time and money and increases productivity
Picture saving all those working minutes every day that you and your team spend logging into all the different accounts and devices you use.
Every productivity tool. Every email client. Every time you use the project management tool preferred by a certain person, partner, or client. Every time you share documents.
Then add on all the hours your IT department wastes on the phone unlocking accounts and resetting passwords when things go wrong.
Each individual one of these situations doesn’t sound like much. Thirty seconds. A few minutes. Half an hour. But when you add it up, there’s a whole lot of time and money to be saved.
3) It leads to stronger passwords
One of the reasons that people end up creating weak passwords (hello, qwerty123) is the sheer number of codes most people need to remember these days.
This results in what are called password fatigue and password duplication. In short, people get so tired and annoyed trying to remember all the passwords they need that they end up just using the same one or bashing in something short and memorable.
But if you only need to remember one “master” password and username, it’s problem solved. People are quite happy to produce one super-hard password if they know it’s the only one they’ll ever need.
4) It improves compliance
SSO makes it much easier to ensure your authentication approach is compliant with standards you’ve chosen to meet (things like Cyber Essentials or IASME Cyber Assurance).
It’s also easier to assess and audit your authentication system in general or as part of the process of becoming compliant.
How to apply SSO to Microsoft 365
In the same way many people regularly click a button that says “log in using Google or Facebook”, you can set it up so your employees can “log in using Microsoft Azure” to all of your internal software and even third-party tools you trust.
Then each of your team members only needs to remember that one ultra-secure ID.
This relies on Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) as an SSO provider. It’s relatively easy to set up, so chat about it with your Managed Service Provider or IT department. You can also check out the full guide over on the Microsoft Azure website,
Either way, now you know what Single Sign-On is and all the benefits it offers, it’s an easy next step to take towards making your IT work for you for a change.
Want to ensure your business IT maximises your team’s productivity and security?
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