As cloud usage expands, businesses rely on numerous applications, which creates a complex network of accounts that can be difficult to manage. Single Sign-On (SSO) addresses this challenge by allowing users to access multiple applications with one set of credentials, improving both security and user experience. ISL Online, a leading remote desktop software provider, integrates SSO to allow users to authenticate themselves securely and efficiently using their organization’s SSO credentials.
What is Single Sign-On?
Single Sign-On, shorter SSO, is a method of authentication that allows users to access multiple applications or services with one set of credentials, such as a username and password. This eliminates the need for users to remember and manage multiple usernames and passwords, simplifying the login process. SSO integrates with various identity providers and can be used across different platforms and applications, providing a seamless user experience while maintaining secure access controls.
How does SSO work with ISL Online remote desktop application?
SSO works based on a trust relationship between the identity provider (IdP), which holds the identity information and authenticates the user, and the service provider (SP), which is the service or application the user wants to access, in our case the SP is ISL Online, a remote desktop application. Instead of sending sensitive data back and forth, the IdP passes an assertion using SAML 2.0 to authenticate the user for ISL Online (SP).
Here’s how the SSO process works with ISL Online:
- Access Request: The user navigates to the ISL Online remote desktop application they want to access.
- SSO Redirection: ISL Online (the SP) sends a request and redirects the user to the SSO system (the IdP).
- User Authentication: The user is prompted to authenticate by providing the credentials required by the IdP, such as a username and password.
- Validation and Assertion: Once the IdP validates the user’s credentials, it sends an assertion back to ISL Online to confirm successful authentication. The user is then granted access to ISL Online.
SSO simplifies the process of login and authentication for enterprise users.
Read more about SSO configuration
What are the benefits of SSO?
1. Increased Productivity: SSO streamlines the login process, allowing employees to access multiple applications with a single set of credentials. This reduces time spent on logging in and dealing with password issues, enabling employees to focus on their tasks.
2. Enhanced Security: SSO minimizes the number of passwords users need to remember, reducing the risk of weak passwords and potential breaches. Combined with risk-based authentication and multi-factor authentication, it monitors for unusual behavior and provides an extra layer of security.
3. Reduced IT Costs: By decreasing the number of password-related help desk calls, SSO lowers IT support costs. Users are less likely to forget a single password, reducing the frequency of password resets and associated support requests.
4. Improved User Experience: Managing multiple passwords can be overwhelming, leading to password fatigue. SSO alleviates this by requiring only one password, providing a seamless login experience that reduces friction for users and enhances overall satisfaction, productivity, and morale.
5. Improved Compliance: SSO helps organizations comply with regulations such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and Sarbanes-Oxley by enforcing strong authentication and access control measures, and providing detailed audit trails.
6. Prevents Shadow IT: SSO allows IT administrators to monitor and control the applications employees use, reducing the risk of unauthorized software and potential security vulnerabilities.
7. Facilitates Collaboration: SSO simplifies authentication and authorization in collaborative environments, allowing users from different organizations to access shared applications efficiently, thereby accelerating collaboration and productivity.
8. Easier Onboarding: New employees can be onboarded more quickly and efficiently with SSO, as they only need to remember one set of credentials to access all necessary applications.
How to measure ROI of SSO
For a company investing in SSO, the return on investment (ROI) can often be realized quickly, typically in less than 12 months. Let’s take an example to better quantify the benefits of SSO. A company with 20 ISL Online licenses and 80 users can expect significant cost savings due to the streamlined efficiency and enhanced security that SSO provides. By reducing time spent logging in, minimizing password reset requests, and simplifying on/offboarding processes, the company saves approximately $7,700 per year in labor and operational costs, even after accounting for the cost of upgrading to a premium SSO license. Such a company would see a return on investment in just over 4 months.
In terms of security, SSO simplifies on/offboarding—when an employee leaves the company, changing their SSO password instantly revokes access to all services, ensuring security and compliance. Additionally, implementing SSO significantly reduces the risk of security breaches. When you factor in the potential fines, legal fees, and reputational damage from a breach, the costs can be substantial, meaning the savings from SSO can increase even further. These combined benefits, from improved efficiency to enhanced security, deliver a clear ROI in less than a year.
To determine the investment required for your use case, please visit our pricing page. To receive a detailed ROI calculation for upgrading your ISL Online license(s) with SSO, tailored to your specific use case, feel free to contact us.
Conclusion
Integrating Single Sign-On (SSO) with ISL Online simplifies the authentication process by allowing users to log in through their organization’s SSO identity provider via the secure SAML 2.0 protocol. This integration enhances security and streamlines access, enabling users to authenticate once and access multiple ISL Online products without repeated logins. For IT professionals, this reduces password management complexity and support overhead, ensuring a more efficient and secure remote access environment. Implementing SSO with ISL Online offers a robust solution for effectively managing enterprise systems.
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