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The switch to online education is gaining traction at a rapid pace. With this transition, the number of tools and platforms used in educational institutions is also rising. While this move is great for student learning outcomes, it does bring about two issues that need to be addressed ASAP. Moving education online means that sensitive student data is now on the web, so security must be a top priority. Each of these educational tools requires separate login credentials, which can make password management a nightmare over some time. This makes it clear that Ed-Tech providers need to find a way to address the above issues. SSO for Ed-tech Firm is one such solution to tackle crucial security challenges.
Let’s learn how.
What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?
Single Sign-On is an authentication technique where a single set of login credentials can be used to log in to multiple cloud-based platforms. Think Google: Gmail account credentials give you access to Google’s other products, such as Google Drive, Docs, YouTube, and more.
In the education sector, it could mean that a single set of credentials can used by students, educators, admin, etc., to access multiple e-learning platforms or other online learning platforms.
SSO for Ed-Tech Firms Can Benefit the Education Sector
Ed-Tech firms implementing SSO for their suite of online learning products will help the education sector on the whole in several ways:
1. Less Time Wasted on Remembering/Resetting Passwords
Time is valuable, and the more time students or educators spend trying to remember the correct password to each platform, the less time is spent on learning. Rolling out SSO for all related platforms will help all parties reclaim those few precious minutes that can be used productively.
2. Improved Security
With an SSO in place, educators and students will only have to remember a single password to gain access to all the e-learning platforms they need. With this in mind, IT administrators can increase the complexity required to create a new password. This would prevent “password fatigue” and make it harder for anyone trying to gain unauthorized access to sensitive student information.
3. Free up Precious Time for IT administrators and Reduce Helpdesk Costs
A Forester Report has found that each password rest can cost an enterprise upwards of $70. Moreover, 40% of all service requests revolve around passwords and resets, and the benefit of implementing SSO makes a case for itself.
The money saved and the time recovered for your IT Administrators can put to better use on the upkeep of your servers, ensuring maximum uptime for your end users.
A Five-Step Guide to Implementing SSO for Ed-Tech Firms
If you looking for an Ed-Tech firm looking to implement SSO for your products and services. This five-step guide will help you get started.
1. Define the Scope of the Project
The first step to implementing SSO is to have a clear idea of the project’s scope. Here, you address questions such as:
- What is the end goal? Are we looking to implement SSO for just one of our e-learning platforms, to begin with, or all of them?
- What are the end user’s pain points that we need to address?
- What are the technical requirements to achieve this? Moreover, What security standards must we meet, and what protocols can we use to accomplish that?
- Do we have the budget to cover the custom software development costs to implement SSO?
Once you have a clear understanding of everything that needs to be done, only then move on to the next step.
2. Pick the Right SSO Solution or Vendor that Matches Your Project’s End Goals
There is no shortage of SSO vendors. Citrix, Microsoft Azure Active Directory, Oracle, OneLogin, and Okta are just a few big names at the top of the list.
To pick one that works best for your specific needs, verify the following:
- Compatibility with your existing systems.
- Support for the authentication protocols you intend to implement.
- Are they scalable and can reliably handle the project user volumes?
- Is their SSO process simple enough for parents, students of all ages, and educators to use?
- Their track record of customer support during and post-implementation.
- The cost of implementing and recurring costs.
3. Design, Configure, and Test the SSO Architecture
Once you have chosen an SSO solution or vendor, you need to create a detailed plan and design for how it will integrate with your applications or services. At this stage, focus needs to be on:
- Defining the roles and responsibilities of each party involved.
- Drawing up a clear outline of the workflows and processes of each user group, the data flows, and the mappings of each application or service.
- Lay out the security policies and procedures of each authentication protocol or method.
Once all the custom software development has been done to implement the above. Test the SSO integration thoroughly in a sandbox environment before deploying the changes into production.
4. Train All Parties Involved in Using the New Systems
A system’s security is only as strong as its weakest link. It is why training the end users on how to use this new feature and your method of IT administrators on how to manage it effectively is crucial. Providing your end users with clear documentation and quick troubleshooting tips will also be a neat touch.
5. Monitor, Evaluate, and Update the SSO Implementation as Needed
Security is a never-ending game of bad actors and cybersecurity experts trying to outdo each other. This is why it is crucial to monitor your SSO implementation and review and audit periodically to ensure that it still functions properly, securely, efficiently, and effectively.
Summing Up
If you want to improve the security and efficiency of your online learning platforms, SSO is a great place to start. The simple five-step guide here will give you a clear idea of how to proceed.
Protecting student data is serious business, and implementing SSO for your Ed-tech Firm is also a powerful way to convey to the end customers that you take security seriously. It, in turn, will provide a significant boost to your firm’s brand value and reputation.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash