Using Single Sign-On (SSO) to Improve Cybersecurity
“The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data.” This Publication by The Economist in 2017 accentuates how focal information and related technology are significant to the success of any enterprise.
You rely on data to formulate policies, monitor stability, and project financial trajectories. The last thing any firm wants is for their information files to land on the wrong hands. Passwords resourcefully mitigated this problem, until they became a nuisance and faced sporadic hacks.
To solve these issues, Single Sign-On Systems were introduced.
What is Single Sign On
Single Sign-On is an authentication process that allows a user to access multiple applications with one set of login credentials. Once you have logged in, you do not have to repetitively key your details for every application linked to the system.
SSO makes use of a central server that orchestrates the single sign-on between multiple clients. The system is platform-independent; for instance, if you logged in into your Android phone, then you do not need to rewrite your credentials to access Google Webmaster Tools.
How to Build Your Single Sign On System Using Auth0
Single Sign-On system buildup can be done using the ultra powerful Auth0 authorization interphase. Auth0 provides great service on authorization system functionality, having super-easy implementation interphase with almost every programming platform. It has more than twenty social logins, multi language support, and flexibility to allow for customization to create your brand login screens. AuthO also has webhooks to ensure service accuracy.
- For starters, you can try Auth0 for free. Sign up with your email and then proceed to create an Auth0 account.
- Once the account is ready, proceed to create a New Client for the application. Select the appropriate client type.
- When you click Next, the following interphase will show you a ready application. Auth0 provides setting guides for most major programming platforms.
- Select the programming platform you want to use to build the SSO and create virtual hosts, one for each client that you want to implement.
- Download Auth0 SDK to your application using Composer.
- Add the Composer autoload file into the project to use SDK.
Other equally viable apps that can be used to build SSO systems include JumpCloud, OKTA, Duo security, and Citrix Workspace, among many others.
Benefits of Single Sign On Solutions and Why Your Business Needs It
1. Enhanced Security
This is probably the most important benefit of SSO systems, and similarly the most contentious. There is a misplaced delusion that SSO derails security, premised on the notion that if potential threats can access the single password, then all connected applications are at risk. Suppositiously, this notion seems to be correct. The logic behind SSO’s security feature is that only one master password is needed, making it a lot more convenient to create a stronger one; users do not have to struggle to memorize several complex passwords.
2. Improves the Efficiency of Both the Workers and IT
SSO systems save the employees time that would have otherwise been spent making calls for assistance on password issues. The consumer’s IT experience is also greatly enhanced, and they no longer need to labor keying in different security passwords to access separate related applications.
3. Eliminates Password Hitches
As a remedy to cyberattacks, it is required that you use unique passwords for every application. The flipside of this is the hustle to recall each of these passwords. It could even be more distressing if you forget your logins.
A 2020 research by Baymard Institute observed that “strict password rules can cause an 18.75% checkout abandonment rate.” This limits the conversion of prospects into actual buyers. With SSO, however, employees and end-users have to master only one password for all applications.
4. Eradicates Instances of Shadow IT
With a central information system, it is not easy to keep track of the applications that employees of an organization interact with at any given time. This has seen an emerging problem of unsanctioned access to sites and illegal downloads, originating from within the organization. SSO allows administrators to keep tabs on how workers access various apps and to discern any unauthorized activities.
5. SSO Lowers Customer Service Request
According to Gartner, more than half of customer service issues are password-related. Besides time wastage, the process of changing passwords is quite exorbitant, costing up to $ 70 on average. With a single unique password, customers are less likely to forget and require resets. This saves on costs and time.
How Does SSO Improve Security
SSO helps improve security from both internal and external threats in two ways:
- It requires just one password for all applications, making it easy to create a stronger password that can be easily memorized.
- Besides, the SSO monitor feature enables the identification of any malicious interactions with the company’s IT infrastructure from within.
The coherence that a single-sign-on system gives to your company can only be second to that from a copper-bottomed IT firm.
Who Needs an IT Management Company
1. An Enterprise with No Internal IT Team
Setting up a reliable internal IT team requires robust financial muscles and takes a lot of time. Sourcing external IT management is equally effective and very economical.
2. An Enterprise that Has an Internal IT Team
This could be to either support your in-house team or replace it. Caution should be taken to manage the threats that may come during the shifting process.
3. A company that Is Upscaling
As the company grows, there is a need to elevate its IT systems. Sometimes your current IT support partner or the internal team is not best-suited to manage this scalability. This may warrant outsourcing a more established IT Management Company.
How Can Generation IX Improve Your Company’s Security
Are you in Los Angeles and looking for the services of an IT management company? Gen IX has been helping firms around LA improve their IT security for the last twenty years. We are particularly concerned with developing consumer-centered IT solutions.
Schedule your complimentary consultation now or get started by calling us at (310) 477-4441 and we’ll be more than glad to engage you.
Everyday, I work to ensure organizations are leveraging technology to optimize their business, improve employee performance and satisfaction, and protect themselves from cybersecurity threats. I love my role in business development because it allows me to connect with all facets of a business. My primary focus is working with new prospective clients and introducing them to the Generation IX way of IT services and support. Additionally, I evaluate new technology and potential vendor partnerships. We are constantly looking for the best solutions for our clients.
