An authentication scheme where a user logs in once to a central identity provider and gains access to multiple applications without re-entering credentials — reduces password sprawl while centralizing identity controls.
SSO uses protocols like SAML, OIDC (OpenID Connect on top of OAuth 2.0), or proprietary mechanisms (Kerberos in Active Directory). The flow: user hits app → app redirects to IdP → IdP authenticates user → IdP issues token (SAML assertion or JWT) → app accepts token and grants session. SSO is foundational for enterprise security because it centralizes the authentication policy (MFA, password rules, conditional access) instead of having 50 apps with 50 different policies.
Configuring Okta as the SSO provider for Salesforce, Slack, GitHub, and 30 other SaaS apps — one MFA login per day instead of 30 separate logins.
SSO is non-negotiable for any company with more than ~10 SaaS tools — without it, you can't enforce consistent security policy and offboarding becomes a nightmare.
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