How Single Sign On (SSO) Helps SMBs

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face numerous challenges when it comes to managing their IT infrastructure. Security threats, the need for streamlined processes, and the demand for user-friendly experiences are just a few of the hurdles these businesses must overcome. Fortunately, Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions have emerged as a game-changer for SMBs. In this article, we will explore the business benefits of implementing SSO, highlighting how it can boost efficiency, enhance security, and reduce IT management overhead for SMBs.

Collaborative IT have been serving Oxfordshire businesses for more than 20 years. Since the year 2000, businesses in the South East have trusted us with IT support, Cloud support as well as IT consultancy, disaster recovery and much more.

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Tighten up your application security, and take the hassle out of joiners and leavers with centralised Single Sign On (SSO)

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What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?

Single Sign-On (SSO) is a user authentication process that allows individuals to access multiple applications and services with a single set of credentials, such as a username and password. Instead of remembering numerous login credentials for various systems, users log in once, and SSO seamlessly grants them access to all authorised resources. Here are the key business benefits of SSO for SMBs:

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Enhanced Security

Security breaches can be devastating for any business, but they can be particularly crippling for SMBs with limited resources to recover from such incidents. SSO significantly enhances security by:

• Reducing Password Fatigue: Users are less likely to resort to weak passwords or reuse passwords across multiple accounts, as they only need to remember one set of credentials.
• Centralised Access Control: SSO enables IT administrators to control and monitor user access from a centralised dashboard. This ensures that only authorised personnel can access sensitive systems and data.
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Integration: Many SSO solutions offer 2FA options, adding an extra layer of security to user logins, making it even more challenging for unauthorised individuals to gain access.
• Automated Account Provisioning and Deprovisioning: SSO simplifies the onboarding and offboarding process. When an employee joins or leaves the company, their access to all systems can be easily managed from one place, reducing the risk of lingering access to critical resources.

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Improved User Experience

User experience is a critical factor in employee productivity and customer satisfaction. SSO can significantly enhance the user experience by:

• Eliminating Password Hassles: Users no longer need to juggle multiple passwords, reducing frustration and helpdesk requests related to password resets.
• Streamlined Access: With a single login, employees can quickly access the applications and tools they need to perform their tasks, boosting overall efficiency.
• Reducing Login Time: SSO reduces the time spent on logging in, allowing employees to focus on more important tasks.

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Increased Productivity

For SMBs, time is often of the essence. SSO contributes to increased productivity in various ways:

• Time Savings: Employees save time by not having to remember and enter multiple usernames and passwords, allowing them to be more productive in their roles.
• Fewer Login Errors: SSO reduces the chances of login errors or failed login attempts, which can disrupt workflow and waste valuable time.

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Cost Reduction

SMBs often operate on tight budgets, and SSO can help reduce costs by:

• Lowering IT Management Overhead: Managing user accounts, passwords, and access permissions across numerous systems can be resource-intensive. SSO simplifies these tasks, reducing the need for dedicated IT staff or third-party support.
• Minimising Security Breach Costs: Preventing security breaches through SSO can save SMBs significant financial and reputational damage.

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Scalability

As SMBs grow, they may add new applications and services to their technology stack. SSO scales seamlessly, allowing businesses to easily integrate new systems into their authentication framework without adding complexity for users or IT administrators.

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Data Security & GDPR Compliance

If you hold personal data, and remember, that is not just for your customers, but also your employees, you have GDPR responsibilities to ensure your business has adequate and appropriate security controls. SSO is a highly effective login tool that can provides a protective layer around your data applications, software and online file storage. If you are ISO27001, or have a desire to be aligned with this highly regarded standard; then SSO is a must.

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Conclusion

In a world where security threats are ever-present, and efficiency is paramount, Single Sign-On (SSO) has become an indispensable tool for small to medium-sized businesses. By enhancing security, improving the user experience, increasing productivity, reducing costs, and offering scalability, SSO empowers SMBs to compete effectively in the digital age. Investing in an SSO solution is not just a technological upgrade; it's a strategic move that can drive business growth and success. Collaborative IT offers consultancy and implementation across the SSO vendors, such as Microsoft Active Directory.

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Why choose Collaborative IT?

Collaborative IT have been supporting businesses in Oxford and the South East for more than 20 years. Companies choose Collaborative IT for the peace of mind we offer any size business, giving them the confidence to continue to achieve commercial success without having to worry about their IT systems.

In the same way that we ask a mechanic to fix our cars, IT systems require specialist knowledge to ensure everything is running the way it should. And just like cars, if your IT systems fail, your business won’t be going anywhere fast.

Collaborative IT are the specialists that work with you to support the smooth running of your business. Our customers are at the centre of everything we do and our first-class services is rivalled by no one else.

It’s our unique approach to IT support that keeps our customers referring us to other businesses. The companies we look after are happy with the support we provide and we are humbled to receive a multitude of recommendations, which demonstrates the affect we have.

If you’d like to find out more about us or would simply like a friendly chat to discuss how we can help, please feel free to call us on 01844 318131 or send us an email via ask@colit.co.uk. We offer free no obligation initial consultations. We look forward to hearing from you!