Is SSO something your company needs at the moment? Well, although the benefits of SSO are numerous, the answer is if you’re a SaaS company looking to scale, or one with a large team SSO is a no-brainer!
But, to explain why exactly, here’s why your business just might need a single sign-on.
Why is SSO important?
Single sign-on is a reliable way to put an easy-to-use security framework in place. This framework allows users to log in to hundreds of apps in one go, making the workflow process quicker using encrypted SSO protocols like SAML, OAuth, and OIDC.
From a company standpoint, however, this helps manage user access from a centralized dashboard without providing them access to a password or key to accessing the platform which can be leaked easily.
Put in simple words - the benefits of SSO are that it makes access fast and passwordless with one point of access. However, when paired with MFA it also has multiple layers reducing the risk of phishing, unauthorized access, and data breaches.
8 Key Benefits of SSO
1. Better Security and Less Attack Surface
SSO reduces the chances of hackers or unauthorized personnel gaining access to your passwords. Single Sign On, lets you control access from one access point - meaning you can make sure that only the right users have access with a muti-factor authentication in place (this can use a combination of OTPs, biometrics, passcodes or passwords .etc).
With an impenetrable access point - your whole system is safe, even in the case where someone unauthorized gains access to credentials. One of the other advantages of SSO is that it also allows you to have passwordless authentication removing the chance of your password being stolen at all.
- SSO makes your system phishing-resistant and uses SSO authentication tokens that reduce attack surfaces.
- Faster responses to threats blocking access with criteria you put in place - most SSO software use conditional access and adaptive MFA.
- A lot of SSO providers allow you to have group access based on roles (RBAC) and groups to lower the chances of insider threats.
2. Lower Admin Overhead and Costs
Imagine your company of 20-50 employees scales to more than 200 or 300. The fact is that managing access to complex tools and using your typical IT admins will need more resources and investment in your administration.
In terms of the single sign on benefits in administration, SSO allows you to plan for software licenses better, also with lower tickets and password resets your password costs lower dramatically. In fact, Forrester Research estimates the average cost of a single help desk call dealing with a password reset at $70.
Alternatively, for some companies with 1,000 employees, reducing password reset calls by just 20% could save them $14,000 per year. SSO providers eliminate both these issues through lower forgotten passwords and also self-service protocols.
3. Improved Productivity and Better User Engagement
Here are the facts - having instant access to multiple platforms and service providers can save an employee's time and a lot of issues that arise with non-accessibility to tools and your existing tech stack.
This goes on the customer side as well! A study conducted by Baymard Institute even explained how 18% of carts in e-commerce businesses were abandoned due to issues with forgotten passwords and password resets.
There was also a study carried out by McKinsey that found that companies that use SSO see a 15% increase in employee collaboration. This means that one of the benefits of SSO is that it boosts the productivity of people working together in groups as well.
4. Risk-Based Authentication and Adaptive MFA
Most single sign-on providers enable centralized authentication that uses adaptive MFA. One of the main single sign-on benefits is enabling MFA policies that adapt based on risk and context. This makes logging in both safer and easier.
With Adaptive MFA an SSO platform allows unified access through MFA processes which vary based on risk.
According to the National Institue of Standards and Technology, the risk-based Authenticator Assurance Levels can be broken down into:
- AAL1: Basic authentication (e.g., single-factor authentication, passwords)
- AAL2: Stronger authentication using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- AAL3: The highest level of authentication with strong cryptographic techniques
5. Lower Password Fatigue + Better Password Management
Want to know more about the advantages of SSO? Well, here’s a big one: SSO eliminates the need for users to manage multiple passwords, reducing credential reuse and security gaps.
By using a single authentication point it allows for stricter access control, which is put in place better with multi-factor authentication to maintain security without requiring multiple logins.
How Do SSO Providers Help With This?
- SSO providers let you control user access to tools without sharing actual passwords, keeping them visible only to you.
- Strong passwords can be managed more easily while eliminating the risk of phishing.
- Employees and customers no longer need to remember multiple passwords, making access simpler and more secure.
6. Better Regulatory Compliance
Keeping up with changing regulations can be challenging, but SSO with centralized access control helps companies stay ahead of the rules and reduce legal and financial risks.
- For instance, healthcare companies and the medical industry have to deal with HIPAA compliance.
- For most tech companies other concerns like PCI-DSS, CCPA, and GDPR (in Europe are the more common concerns). In general, however, one of the other single sign on benefits is that when paired with IAM software compliance frameworks, SSO can keep you on the right side of industry company laws.
By following best practices and with a strict SSO access policy in place, companies build trust with customers and regulators.
7. Better Vendor and B2B Partner Management
Strong relationships with vendors and business partners create smoother operations and better service delivery.
However, the question of which vendors have access to your tools and for how long is always looming. In these cases, one of the major single sign on benefits is that you can grant them access and revoke the same to only the tools you want without disclosing any actual passwords.
More than this, it allows you to grant access to only the databases that are relevant to their usage and monitor when they access your framework or make any modifications.
Well-managed partnerships often lead to better pricing, improved reliability, and faster problem resolution.
8. Improved User Experience and Market Growth
A positive user experience keeps customers engaged and encourages repeat business. SSO helps create fast, intuitive interfaces, personalized interactions, and responsive support to make products and services more appealing.
Which makes more sense, a customer that likes your application or one that has difficulty logging in? Happy customers are more likely to recommend a brand, leading to greater market reach.
One major benefit of SSO is the better user experience which in turn can lead to market growth and has a direct relationship in deciding how you are positioned in the market.
Why Should Businesses Implement SSO?
- Better Visibility and Centralized Control: SSO allows businesses to track user activity from a single dashboard. What this does is make it easier to manage access. Instead of handling multiple login credentials across different platforms.
- Improved Security: With a lot fewer passwords to remember, users are a lot less likely to reuse weak or compromised credentials. A major benefit of SSO is that it also reduces the risk of phishing attacks by limiting how often employees need to enter their login details, making it harder for attackers to steal information.
- Cost Savings and Lower IT Burden: Fewer password-related issues mean fewer help desk requests, cutting down IT support costs.
- Easier Usage of Multiple Apps: Employees can move between different tools and platforms without repeatedly logging in, saving time and avoiding frustration.
- Automated Access Control Systems: People can set rules for who can access specific systems, reducing the chances of unauthorized logins. When employees join or leave, access updates automatically based on your directories.
Essential Security Considerations for SSO
- Adaptive MFA: Adaptive multi-factor authentication (MFA) looks into login requests based on user behavior, location, and device status. The system requires fewer verifications during low-risk situations, making daily work easier while maintaining security.
- Encrypted SSO Tokens and Communications: Companies must use SSO providers that encrypt all authentication data (like SSO tokens) and communications. These providers should implement zero-trust architecture and zero-knowledge-proof protocols to prevent unauthorized access.
- Conditional Access: Access requirements change based on specific factors during login attempts. Users logging in from new devices or unusual locations will likely need to deal with additional security steps. Your SSO provider would do better with conditional access.
- Privileged Access Management: High-permission accounts require stricter security measures, including extra authentication steps and time-limited sessions. Privileged access management (PAM) helps companies reduce how vulnerable sensitive information is by granting access to just a few personnel - look for SSOs with PAM.
- Principle of Least Privilege: Each user receives access only to necessary systems and data for their work. Regular permission reviews prevent users from keeping unneeded access as they change roles.
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): RBAC assigns permissions to job roles instead of individual users. Other options include Attribute-based access control (ABAC) and policy-based access control (PBAC).
- Attribute-Based Access Control: Access permissions depend on specific user characteristics like department and job title, along with device information. This creates flexible access rules that adapt to changing circumstances.
What is the ROI of Implementing SSO
Lower IT Costs and Support Requests
The CHRISTUS Health system, comprising more than 60 hospitals and long-term care facilities, made use of SSO and found that it resulted in dramatic time savings in clinician login time. This translated to annual dollar savings of more than $92 million per hospital.
By reducing the number of password-related issues, IT teams spend less time on account resets and access troubleshooting. This allows them to focus on higher-priority projects that contribute more to business goals.
Protects Your Intellectual Property Better
In terms of sensitive business data, trade secrets, and proprietary research, the SSO authentication process also makes it easier to remove access for former employees, reducing the chance of insider threats and the misuse of your intellectual property.
With fewer credentials to manage, employees are less likely to reuse weak passwords across systems when using SSO. More importantly, SSO helps make sure confidential and proprietary information remains confidential.
Reduces Lawsuits and Fines from Expensive Data Breaches
IBM reports data breaches cost organizations $4.45 million on average in 2023. Organizations face regulatory fines and legal settlements when breaches occur and compliance requirements aren't met.
Strong security practices prevent financial losses and maintain business relationships. One of the other advantages of SSO is that it puts this in place in a way that is almost effortless and almost impenetrable.
Is Infisign’s SSO Worth the Investment?
Genuinely, this depends on the size of your business and the number of tasks or tools you utilize, for companies that are very tech-heavy or with more than 50 employees infisign’s SSO can make a HUGE difference.
Infisign is an SSO built for both startups and enterprise companies with zero-trust architecture. With over 6000+ pre-built app integrations, directory sync, and adaptive MFA - Infisign is an identity solution built to scale.
Also, Infisign is an AI-powered SSO solution that allows admins to enable access through the use of chatbots, Slack, or even teams.
Want to know more about this? Reach out to our team for a free demo!
FAQs About SSO Benefits
What are the benefits of using SSO?
SSO benefits include reducing password management for employees. Instead of many passwords, they use one to access work applications. This decreases password reset requests to IT support. Using one managed password also prevents employees from creating weak passwords across multiple system
What are the purposes of SSO?
SSO lets employees log in once to use many work applications. This reduces time spent logging into different tools during the workday. Companies gain better security control since there are fewer login points for potential attacks.
Is SSO strong authentication?
SSO improves security by reducing the total number of passwords in use, which decreases password-related vulnerabilities. Adding multi-factor authentication (MFA) to SSO creates stronger protection. MFA requires users to verify their identity twice, blocking unauthorized access even if someone obtains the password.
What is the difference between SAML and SSO?
SSO enables one-time login for multiple applications. SAML transfers login data securely between the identity system and applications. SSO describes the overall login approach, while SAML provides one technical method to accomplish it.
