As today’s businesses embrace the cloud, the number of web apps in their IT environment quickly adds up—and quickly overwhelms the ability to ensure security, manage costs and maintain control.

User password behavior is becoming less secure due to the fact that it is nearly impossible for the average user to remember strong passwords for the multiple cloud services most businesses typically run. Because of this, users take shortcuts and use simple passwords, reuse passwords, and even write them down.

You can help to eliminate poor password practices with a single sign-on solution (SSO) such as AppID by Intermedia. Single sign-on services provide users with a single portal for accessing all of their cloud apps while only needing to remember one password.  This eliminates the temptation for users to take password shortcuts that can introduce security holes.

An SSO allows companies to embrace the productivity benefits of cloud apps without getting lax on security. With a good SSO solution, you can:

1. Manage Passwords. Whether it’s Salesforce, QuickBooks, NetSuite, or even proprietary apps, an SSO solution eliminates the need to remember multiple passwords making it easy for employees to comply with strong password policies. Businesses can also protect their data by encouraging users to keep their personal and work-related passwords separate. This enables businesses to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized users unlocking a company’s private data via personal login information. It’s a quick fix that can prevent long-term problems.
2. Add 2-factor authentication. Decrease the likelihood of a security breach by requiring 2-factor authentication on all critical systems, applications, and services – especially those that are exposed to the internet. 2-factor authentication requires a second piece of information during the login process. This could be a password and the answer to some personal question only the official employee would know. Adding another authentication factor makes it much more difficult for intruders to breach a company’s systems. DUO has a great solution for 2-factor authentication.
3. Increase employee productivity. Once a user logs in to the SSO portal, they have one-click access to all their applications on one convenient page. With an SSO, users do not need to spend their time finding and logging into different apps and can spend more time working. Additionally, because users only need to remember and enter a single set of credentials, an SSO also minimizes the time users spend dealing with password-related frustrations.
4. Protect your data. Employee turnover along with the flood of devices in the workplace can make it challenging for IT departments to secure employee access to workplace data. Identity and access management tools can prevent potential security risks when an employee leaves or their device is lost or stolen. Businesses can successfully revoke employees’ access to online company resources with just one click.

Because passwords remain a primary path to security, it is essential to implement a strong business password policy as the best defense against intruders accessing your systems. A single sign-on service is a simple, easy-to-deploy solution that keeps passwords safely encrypted. Create strong unique passwords for every web app you use without having to remember any of them.