SSO, or single sign-on, enables users to check in with just one existing account to access different applications. Since multiple systems can be accessed with a single login password, we want to avoid having to repeat the authentication process every time a user disconnects from one service. This is where SSO comes into the picture. Users can find this quite useful because it allows them to retain a valid session across all SSO-enabled applications by only having to identify themselves once.

Single Sign-On for Web and Mobile Applications - The Difference

When switching between apps, the service automatically authenticates the user's access privileges for all of the applications to which they have access. The user is verified against a user directory by the application server after receiving their login information from a specialized SSO policy server. Companies can select an SSO system that best meets their needs and permits appropriate revisions by choosing from a variety of single sign on login procedures, access controls, and system configurations. Additionally, as digital transformation develops, these options will become more difficult to choose from.

Mobile Application

Not all mobile programs have an enterprise back-end system that manages secure login. Their user security approach is implemented by several mobile applications. Take into account, for instance, a service provider's application for reporting complaints that keep all reports in an on-premise database without directly interacting with an enterprise system. Authentication is simultaneously growing simpler and more complicated. With a mobile app as a framework that developers can now incorporate into their applications, such as Apple's Touch ID, SSO is made simpler. SSO can now be configured in this way to only require a fingerprint, something which users find simple and very secure.

Web SSO

A user can access various applications with just one set of login information, such as a name and password, by using a single sign-on (SSO), a session, and a user authentication software. Enterprises, smaller organizations, and individuals can all utilize SSO to make managing a variety of usernames and passwords easier. A user repository, such as an LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) directory, is used to authenticate users in a basic web sso service. An agent module on the application server receives the unique authentication credentials for a given user from a specialized SSO policy server. The service authenticates the user for every application to which they have access and removes subsequent password requests for each application throughout the same session.

Advantages Disadvantages Single Sign on Solutions

With SSO

SSO means that a user can access all applications through a single login credential, reducing the stress of logging into each account separately each time they want to access it. This allows users to employ a secure password reducing the risk of potential damage from malicious and unauthorized access. SSO attempts to streamline the online user experience by totally automating session sign-in procedures. A single account can access many resources using the Single Sign-On identification system; for instance, by logging into Gmail, we have account-level access to its many web applications, including Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Books, etc.

Without SSO

Potential important productivity is also lost due to the time costs associated with attempting to manually lock down critical accounts. When SSO is removed, the sudden and urgent requirement for multiple passwords is the most obvious change. On the IT side, this is especially true. Manual reset procedures for lost or forgotten account logins may take hours or even days, especially as the number of forgotten password occurrences increases across the organization. Longer-than-normal login times for users can be caused by many passwords and the intricate password policies needed to safeguard them all. A single mistake might lengthen the already lengthy login process by several minutes.

The Pros of Single Sign-On

There are several reasons why web application Single Sign On Solution is used in enterprises to connect users to their web apps quickly, relieving both IT and end-users of some of the burden. Check out all of the single Sign-on advantages that can be provided for your business:

Simplified Password Management

SSO's ability to easy management of credentials considerably easier is one of its main advantages. End-users don't even use passwords to log in to applications, with the majority of web app SSO solutions advantage. In the end, SSO merely requires IT Administrators to ensure that their users are handled at the identity provider (IdP) level with their primary directory service. The SSO solution attests to that core identity after verifying it for third-party web apps.

Increased Admin Control

With SSO, IT administrators can see more clearly which programs their end users have access to, which reduces the likelihood that Shadow IT and other potential risk factors will go unnoticed. Additionally, administrators can disable user access to specific apps when necessary, thus limiting current threat vectors. User lifecycle management, where current SSO platforms can automatically provision and de-provision users through protocols like SCIM and SAML JIT, is a significant improvement made to Single Sign-On (SSO) solution advantages over time.

Efficient Critical Sign-In Processes

An average person enters and resets passwords for 48 minutes each month. Although this may seem unimportant, it matters when split-second decisions must be made, as in the case in industries like healthcare or law enforcement. In contrast, users who have SSO enabled have immediate access to the apps they need to manage any situation.

Improved Security

SSO makes easy management to use numerous passwords, reducing the number of attack points available to malicious users. This reduces the risk for both your business and its affiliates (partners and clients), especially when multi-factor authentication (MFA) is added on top of SSO. Additionally, administrators may quickly check and modify access levels, protecting your business from resentful former employees. Moreover, a lot of advanced SSO tools have features like push MFA and restricted access that can offer stronger authentication methods and add an extra layer of protection with Single Sign-On security.

Reduced Password Fatigue

Even the most careful employee may become complacent as a result of password fatigue. Password fatigue happens when people have to create too many new credentials over time, which causes them to take shortcuts like writing down their passwords and reusing old ones to remember them more easily. By reducing credential verification to the SAML protocol and process, removing password-based sign-in procedures with SSO attacks the root of password fatigue.

Fewer Help Desk Requests

The labor expenditures for the help desk for a password request average $70, password management software is significantly streamlined by SSO, which relieves a lot of the workload from IT help desks and saves a lot of time and money.

The Cons of Single Sign-On

Despite the advantages of web application SSO, these tools come with various trade-offs and hazards. Among the drawbacks of SSO are:

Costly/Best at Scale

SSO, to put it simply, may become quite expensive. SSO can be very beneficial for smaller businesses, but it can also put a significant financial strain on the organization. The majority of essential functionality is add-on fees for many SSO companies, which causes the costs to rise quickly.

Require an IDP (Identity Provider)

The IdP/directory service of an organization serves as the foundation of any SSO solution. The Single Sign-On solution's advantage is that it is generally built on top of a directory, requiring businesses to purchase additional services to accomplish their goals, making the whole package resource-consuming and complicated. Of course, just like SSO, using this can end up being expensive for organizations in terms of setup and implementation costs as well as ongoing expenses.

Mainly Limited to Web Apps

IAM is a vast field that encompasses many of the IT team's duties. IAM includes much more than just controlling access to web apps with SSO. Thus, IT administrators must use a variety of other tools in addition to the web app SSO to develop a comprehensive IAM solution. Users still need access to their computers (Mac, Windows, or Linux), servers, VPNs, WiFi networks, file servers, and a variety of other things. SSO for web applications is useless for those IT resources.

Extra-Strong Passwords

SSO only requires end-users to remember one password, but it is better if that password is lengthy, difficult, and secure. Although this typically improves identity security as a whole, it also increases the risk that a user will forget or disclose this password, rendering the Single Sign-On advantages useless.

Once Hacked, All Other Data Become Vulnerable

Since SSO is connected to numerous important resources, if an SSO provider is the target of an attack, the whole user base is at the risk of being exposed. If MFA is not being used, access to those applications is likewise in danger if an end user's SSO portal is compromised.

Implementation and Configuration

SSO is not often ""plug-and-play,"" meaning IT administrators must invest the necessary time and effort to integrate and customize their SSO service to their organization. This is true of many IT solutions as well. In addition to the application configuration of Single Sign-On, using a third-party IdP might make integration difficult and complex.

Try Ninja Auth SSO Solution

Ninja Auth's advanced, simplistic Single Sign On Solution advantage provides the right tool for your business! You can create a free account to gain free access to the entire platform for up to ten users. In addition, you will have access to in-app support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This is the best choice for businesses that manage a variety of apps with diverse authentication requirements. The number of programs you install is up to you, and you can manage them all with one quick sign-on. Thanks to seamless access and improved security, users may access their accounts without having to remember many passwords. SSO with multi factor authentication (MFA) also improves security. The app is the finest SSO provider because it gives developers more flexibility by enabling them to swiftly maintain code across several apps using a single API, which reduces the time and effort needed to update all software.

Summing It Up

We use a whole lot of systems in our daily lives, and remembering the complex passwords for each of those systems is difficult. Single Sign-On advantage could be the answer to this problem. We can use it to access multiple applications and services with a single identity, and it will make adding and deleting users in our systems easier. However, there is no need for your company to develop its system or deep SSO expertise. Ninja Auth is one of the best available options and can assist you in determining the best outcome for your business.