- Increased Productivity
- Improved Security
- Decreased IT Costs
- Improved Job Satisfaction for Employees
- Enhanced Customer Experience
- Increased Adoption Rates
- Tighter B2B Collaboration
- Regulatory Compliance
Increased Productivity
Single sign-on increases employee productivity by reducing the time they must spend signing on and dealing with passwords.
Users with just one password to access all of their apps can skip all that extra time spent logging in. SSO solutions often give them access to a dock where all their apps are available.
Improved Security
A common myth about SSO solutions is that they compromise systems' security. This misconception is based on the idea that should a master password be stolen, all related accounts will be exposed.
However, the reality is that with good practices, SSO significantly decreases the likelihood of a password-related hack. With SSO, users only need to remember a single password for all their applications and are more likely to secure passphrases. They are also less likely to reuse passwords or write them down, which reduces the risk of theft.
An excellent strategy to provide an additional layer of security is to combine SSO with multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA requires that a user provide two or more pieces of evidence to prove their identity during sign-on. This can be a password and an one-time password that is delivered to the users phone.
Risk-based authentication (RBA) is another strong security feature that may be utilized by your security team. RBA permits the use of tools to observe user activity and context. This is done to spot any strange behavior that could signal an unauthorized user or cyberattack. For example, if you notice multiple login failures or wrong IPs, you can require MFA or block the user completely.
Decreased IT Costs
It has been estimated by Gartner that 40% of all help desk calls are due to password issues. Another study by Forrester reveals password resets cost organizations upward of $70 per fix. SSO drives down help desk costs by reducing the number of required passwords to just one.
Some organizations have implemented specific password requirements like length and the use of special characters. These requirements may make passwords more difficult for users to remember. More secure passwords can lead to more users resetting passwords and therefore, more password fatigue. SSO can help alleviate some of those costs.
Improved Job Satisfaction for Employees
Employees are using an increasing number of apps in the workplace, with each requiring unique login credentials. This places a lot of burden on workers and can be time consuming and frustrating. It was found that an average of 68 percent of employees have to switch between ten apps every hour.
Single sign-on improves productivity and enhances job satisfaction by allowing employees to work without interruption and quickly access everything needed. Easy access is particularly valuable for employees that are in the field or working from multiple devices.
Enhanced Customer Experience
An improved customer experience is one of the most valuable benefits of implementing MFA. A recent study reveals up to 18.75% of users abandon their carts because of password reset issues or forgotten passwords.
Retailers, healthcare providers and banks can eliminate these issues and give customers access to everything needed with SSO. Customers will enjoy a more seamless experience with less friction and less frustration. The immediate benefits of improved user experiences include customer loyalty, higher conversion rates and enhanced brand visibility.
Increased Adoption Rates
The competitive nature of today's market means customers have plenty of alternatives. If they experience too much friction or confusion with your product, they will seek out another option. SSO increases the chance that users will choose your app and use it more frequently.
Tighter B2B Collaboration
SSO plays a critical role in the success of B2B partnerships as well. Everything from cars and phones to essential home items are built and distributed through collaborative efforts between multiple enterprises. This type of business collaboration requires giving employees from other companies access to specific data, digital tools and applications. Federated SSO (or federated identity management) can help create more efficient and effective collaboration between businesses by bridging identity systems.
Businesses also often collaborate to provide related services to joint customers. Federated identity management simplifies access to services from multiple companies. Customers only need one account to access related services from different companies.
Regulatory Compliance
Industry regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA require companies to implement security measures to protect data. Single sign-on is often implemented as part of a broader identity and access management (IAM) solution. Using this combined solution can help you comply with regulations that require strong authentication and access control. IAM can also help businesses comply with other regulatory requirements pertaining to privacy, activity tracking and single logout.
