Understanding The Basics Of Single Sign-on And Federated Identity Management

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Understanding The Basics Of Single Sign-On And Federated Identity Management

At the workplace, employees use hundreds of applications every day. To be able to do that, they have to remember so many usernames and passwords. This becomes a tedious and cumbersome exercise, apart from being a bit impractical. Whenever an organization deploys a new program, end-users have to create a new set of credentials.

According to one study, approximately 40 percent of staff reuse the same two to four passwords for multiple accounts, and 10 percent of users use just one password for all their applications. This example of bad password practice means that it is now easier than ever for hackers to use compromised passwords to access confidential data, harming individuals, and businesses alike. As it stands, businesses can provide users with convenient access to all of their applications by introducing tools such as federated identity management (FIM) and Single Sign-On (SSO).

It is important to understand both FIM and SSO and the difference between the two.

Understanding Single Sign-On

SSO, as the name suggests, ...
... is a function that allows users to access several web applications at once, using only one set of credentials. For companies that implement multiple applications for HR, payroll, and communications, an SSO solution allows employees to access each service with just one set of username and password. This makes it simple for users to do their work, as they no longer have to remember many passwords, and also reduces the amount of time IT takes to reset passwords.

Outside the workforce, businesses can use SSO to help customers access various sections of one account. For instance, SSO can be used by multi-brand retail networks to allow customers to access their accounts from each store from a single central dashboard, enhancing their user experience. When switching between them, the site re-authenticates users with the same credentials.

Federated Identity Management (FIM)

SSO, as a strategy, fits into the more comprehensive FIM model. This model was designed to address the limitations of early internet networks, where user information stored in other domains could not be accessed by individuals in one domain. This was particularly problematic for organizations operating in several sectors, as it made it difficult to establish cohesive interactions for both workers and consumers.

Keeping this in view, as a solution, FIM was developed as a set of agreements and standards that enable businesses and applications to share user identities. Essentially, it's an arrangement that can be agreed upon by many organizations so that clients can use the same identifiers to access various apps.

In Federated Single-Sign-On, the responsibility for verifying and authenticating user credentials in a FIM environment is with an identity provider (IdP), not the applications themselves. In order to authenticate the user, the service provider (SP) communicates with the IdP when a user tries to log into a specific program. This user identity authorization is often done through the open-source Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML).

SSO And FIM: The Differences

While SSO can authenticate a single credential across various systems within one enterprise, the key difference between SSO and FIM (Federated Single-Sign-On) lies in the fact that federated identity management systems offer single access to multiple applications across different entities.

Conclusion

Although Single Sign-On is a feature of Federated Identity Management, having SSO in place does not necessarily allow FIM. Both tools are critical in helping organizations protect their data and minimize barriers to user experience. Both ensure a seamless experience and boost productivity.

Appsian One of the leading ERP data security,compliance,implementation solutions provider that gives organizations to complete control and visibility over their ERP data.