Single sign-on (SSO) is an authentication scheme that allows a user to log in with a single ID and password to any of several related, yet independent, software systems.

Single sign-on allows the user to log in once and access services without re-entering authentication factors. SSO portals help organizations address important access challenges and offer clear productivity and user experience benefits by enabling users to access all of their applications from one location with a single set of credentials.

The benefits of SSO include increased productivity, as all of a user’s applications are in one convenient portal, which expedites access to needed systems and resources. Users log in once and get one-click access to all the resources they need to do their jobs.

SSO also minimizes the time users spend dealing with frustrations related to passwords since they only need to remember and enter a single set of credentials. This is a huge benefit when you consider that most users have to remember an average of 40 passwords.

Furthermore, single sign-on reduces help desk costs because users are less likely to submit a ticket to the IT department for password resets.