Single Sign-On (SSO)
Single Sign-On is an authentication mechanism that allows a user to log in once with a single set of credentials and gain access to multiple connected applications and systems without re-authenticating.
Single Sign-On (SSO) simplifies user authentication by eliminating the need to maintain separate login sessions for each application. When a user logs in through their Identity Provider, SSO creates an authenticated session that persists across connected applications. The user's browser or client stores a token from the IdP, which applications recognize and accept without requiring the user to enter credentials again. This approach dramatically improves user experience, particularly in analytics environments where users might access dozens of connected tools and platforms during their work.
SSO commonly uses protocols like SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) or OAuth to exchange authentication information between the Identity Provider and applications. SSO reduces password fatigue, decreases support burden from password resets, and enables centralized authentication policy enforcement. Organizations can revoke a user's access across all connected systems by disabling SSO authentication in the Identity Provider. However, SSO systems must be carefully implemented to avoid creating overly permissive authentication that grants access to unintended applications.
Key Characteristics
- ▶Eliminates need for multiple credentials across applications
- ▶Uses tokens or assertions from an Identity Provider
- ▶Implements standardized protocols like SAML, OAuth, or OpenID Connect
- ▶Persists authentication across applications within a session
- ▶Enables centralized access revocation by disabling IdP accounts
- ▶Requires all connected applications to trust the Identity Provider
Why It Matters
- ▶Significantly improves user experience by eliminating password re-entry
- ▶Reduces password reset requests and associated support costs
- ▶Enables fast access revocation across all systems by disabling one account
- ▶Allows enforcement of centralized authentication policies like multi-factor authentication
- ▶Improves security by reducing likelihood users reuse weak passwords
- ▶Simplifies onboarding and offboarding by managing identity in one system
Example
An analytics team uses Okta as their Identity Provider with SSO enabled. The team accesses Tableau, Snowflake, GitHub, Jira, and cloud storage through Okta. When a user logs in to Okta in the morning, they can immediately access Tableau, navigate to Snowflake, commit code to GitHub, and access files on cloud storage without entering credentials for each system. When the user's Okta session expires, they must re-authenticate with Okta but immediately regain access to all connected systems.
Coginiti Perspective
Coginiti integrates with enterprise Identity Providers through SSO, enabling users to authenticate once and access Coginiti across all analytics environments. This integration extends beyond Coginiti: with Coginiti's ODBC driver and 24+ platform connectors, SSO authentication centralizes access control, making it possible to manage analytics permissions through identity governance without managing credentials across multiple systems.
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