Single sign-on (SSO) is an approach to authentication that offers developers and users alike a variety of benefits. But to truly grasp the power of SSO, it's essential to dive into the mechanics behind it.
SSO unifies logins across multiple programs, apps, websites, and other digital locations. Users log in once, gaining access to a multitude of services seamlessly. SSO has gained significant traction, particularly within mid to large corporate ecosystems. It’s no wonder that SSO deployment reached 70% of employees in the Asia-Pacific region, 74% in North America, and 87% in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in 2022.
SSO benefits range from bolstered security and streamlined access management to ensuring effortless regulatory compliance and substantial cost savings. It also improves user experience (UX), leading to greater productivity. Let’s dive into how and why SSO is a win-win for all parties involved.
Enhanced security
SSO is one of the most secure authentication methods available. When building an app or website, developers can incorporate SSO to provide users greater protection against credential-based attacks.
The main reasons SSO offers greater security than other auth methods include:
Reduced password-related security risks, like weak or re-used credentials, as well as password fatigue.
Centralized authentication, making phishing attacks less effective.
Fewer attack vectors, minimizing the attack surface that cybercriminals can target.
Since SSO works best in a more integrated tech stack, with connectivity and communication between linked sites, apps, and programs, these benefits are shared across many endpoints.
However, it should be noted that the last point can be contentious in some cybersecurity circles. The flip side of fewer attack vectors is that cybercriminals could take advantage of a single point of failure to compromise multiple systems.
However, implementing SSO intentionally, alongside measures like threat detection and prevention, mitigates a cyberattack's likelihood and potential damage.
Streamlined customer access management
Another element of SSO closely related to security is user account management, sometimes called customer identity and access management (CIAM).
SSO centralizes identity management into one hub from which access to all accounts and systems can be managed easily. That includes troubleshooting and controlling access, and ensuring that users logged into any connected app have the authority to view or use sensitive data.
One situation where this benefit comes into stark relief is when organizations have many disparate apps used by customers e.g. a customer support portal, a knowledge management system, a community portal, the main business app, and so on. SSO can centralize user identities across all these apps to give admins a 360-degree view of the customer.
Learn more about federated authentication
Regulatory compliance
IAM and access control are central to compliance with several governmental or other regulatory frameworks your adopters may be subject to. Fortunately, SSO can also help satisfy these requirements.
Some frameworks, like the Health Insurance Portability and Availability Act (HIPAA) or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), may apply to your clients and adopters irrespective of their industry or location.
For example, HIPAA applies not only to covered entities within healthcare but also to any business associates that come into contact with protected health information. And the GDPR applies to any organization that collects EU residents’ personal data.
These frameworks, and many others, often contain entire sections of controls and requirements dedicated to access control. SSO and other auth methods may not be named as explicit needs, but they can help satisfy requirements such as:
Regular auditing
Audit trail maintenance
Another element of compliance that’s easy to overlook is the cost. Non-compliance fees can be exorbitant, so avoiding them is critical. Moreover, even the implementation and assessment to maintain compliance can be costly. SSO can help cut these expenses by streamlining authentication.
Cost savings
SSO can also help keep costs down for software adopters by streamlining the login process across several of their most-used pieces of software. Two major saving vectors are:
Reduced IT help desk usage: One of the most common reasons users contact IT is for help with their accounts, typically password resets or similar assistance with login. SSO makes those calls less frequent, increasing IT bandwidth. Additionally, costly password resets (around $70 each) are less frequent.
License optimization: Organizations can more effectively manage user licenses and subscriptions for multiple applications. This can potentially save on licensing costs by more efficiently identifying which accounts need to be kept and seeking out bundle deals.
SSO can be a significant cost-saver for adopters looking to integrate your software project into their tech stack. Whether they are entering an existing SSO environment or adopting SSO for the first time, it enhances operational efficiency.
Improved user experience
Perhaps the most apparent benefit of SSO is how it improves UX. Rather than logging in to several separate programs and apps every day, employees and customers can rely on one login to do the work for them.
The system is still convenient if and when issues arise, like users forgetting their passwords. Instead of addressing issues across multiple accounts, they recover their access to all connected accounts by troubleshooting within the SSO platform.
SSO makes everything about login and account management processes easier and less stressful for everyone involved. This can contribute to overall stakeholder satisfaction and retention.
Productivity gains
Because SSO improves security and streamlines aspects like compliance and users’ overall ability to access their accounts, it positively impacts productivity.
Consider all the time users waste logging in to separate accounts to access various functions throughout the day—not to mention the time spent managing login credentials for all their accounts—and note how it adds up.
SSO removes that burden for everyone involved in the process, such as employees, customers, IT admins, and help desk professionals. Instead, all parties can focus more directly on their tasks and responsibilities. SSO takes what can be a burden and effectively neutralizes it.
And, if implemented properly, SSO eases the burden on developers without needing to make big configuration changes or app logic modifications.
No-code SSO with Descope
If you are building a business app, enterprise customers will expect single sign-on functionality. However, learning and debugging protocols like SAML and OpenID Connect can be time-consuming and take focus away from other core product initiatives.
Descope can help. Our no-code workflows help developers and IT teams easily add both SAML and OIDC SSO to their app. With identity federation, Descope can also act as IdP or SP depending on the scenario, helping organizations centralize user identities across all customer-facing apps.
Get started with a Descope Free Forever account to simplify your app’s SSO implementation. Have questions about our platform? Book time with our auth experts.
