Here’s what you can gain from using Single Sign-On (SSO)

The shift to the virtual workplace continues unstoppably. But the success of digital transformation ultimately depends on finding a balance between security and ease of use. A seamless navigation across multiple applications and easy user access & identity management (UAI) are essential to make technology serve people. In this regard, Single Sign-On can bring multiple benefits for companies.

But how does this translate into numbers? Let’s look at some research findings to showcase what the driving forces behind SSO are and what advantages SSO can provide.

Bad password habits are hard to give up

Even if there are clear signs for growing security awareness among users, they all are creatures of habit and comfort. Due to the limited capacity of our human memory and an overload of information, users tend to choose risky short-cuts when it comes to managing passwords.

According to a recent study from Ponemon Institute on behalf of Yubicon, 39% of individuals reuse passwords for at least 16 workplace accounts on average. 59% of IT professionals report that there is no central solution for password management in their company. Instead they rely on human memory. It comes as no surprise that sticky notes are still in use for noting down passwords, as 42% of IT profs admit.

Battle for balance: security vs. ease of use

Companies have to serve two masters when they want to see technologies being adopted widely. People being used to everything only being one click away expect the same level of convenience from the workplace.

On the other hand, as the amount of sensitive data moved to the cloud is growing exponentially, businesses are getting more and more vulnerable and become an attractive target for cybercriminals. According to Verizon’s Data Breach Report 2020, over 80% of data breaches involve the misuse of stolen or lost credentials by hackers.

Ponemon’s research results reflect this tension between building a modern, mobile workplace and securing its foundation. Interestingly, employees demonstrate a mindful behavior when it comes to implementing protective measures. 56% of individuals would only adopt a technology that is easy to use and secure enough. More than 50% of IT professionals believe that a passwordless authentication would enhance both company security and user convenience. Unsurprisingly, the bigger part of respondents (55%) would prefer to simplify the access by eliminating passwords.

Saving time, money and face with SSO

We’ve all been there: Starting the week after a long holiday, you are just staring at your screen, unable to remember the password you used before. While you are desperately trying different combinations, the meeting with an important customer has to be postponed. And you find yourself in a never-ending call with the helpdesk team.

Gartner estimates that 20-50% of helpdesk requests are related to password resets. For critical sectors like healthcare or the financial industry, a 30-minute wait for a password reset can not only cause dissatisfaction, but also result in more devastating losses.

According to a study by Forrester on behalf of Microsoft, the use of SSO services provided by Azure AD could in fact save each employee 10 minutes a week. The estimated financial savings for this could be approx. $7.1 million over three years.

Savings can be achieved not just by reducing labor hours spent on managing and resetting passwords: By relying on SSO to protect their applications with 2-factor-authentication and additional team-based policies, companies can mitigate data breach risks more effectively. It is commonly known that data breaches can entail long-tail financial and reputational losses. By making it harder for malicious individuals to acquire passwords, enterprises can save $2.2 million over a three-year period – as Forrester estimates.

Tresorit SSO: easy access to the world of protected collaboration

The figures confirm that the majority of individuals and IT experts prefer a frictionless workplace experience alongside utmost security. That’s why Tresorit aims at offering users the best of both worlds on the basis of our end-to-end encryption technology.

With one-click sign-in to Tresorit, we help businesses maintain the seamless flow of their collaboration with co-workers and partners in a fully secure cloud environment. Admins can also benefit from greater transparency and rely on a more controlled authentication process, while data breach risks and administrative work are being reduced. Still having doubts? Let’s calculate your savings.