Single sign on (SSO) is the ability to access several software programs with one login. It’s a feature most software buyers look for—and a marginal gain that can help EHS professionals mitigate against under-reporting. Here’s how.
The average person has a whopping 70-80 passwords, and EHS software is yet another application that requires a login. However, single sign on means software systems are linked, and users only log in once.
SSO uses one service to authenticate the end user for all connected apps they have rights to, eliminating future password prompts and password fatigue. It reduces the number of credentials an employee must manage.
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Switched-on EHS professionals will recognize SSO as an asset in encouraging employees to participate in EHS reporting.
Let’s look at the considerations, contexts, and benefits through the lens of EHS.
Examples of single sign on
A clear example of single sign on is Office 365, which one in five corporate employees uses.
Log in once, and access all available tools, like SharePoint, Pro-Sapien, Power BI, Outlook and so on.
Interestingly, SSO can get even more seamless for Microsoft-invested organizations. Devices can be joined with domains (domain-joined) so that employees are logged into Office 365 apps as soon as they unlock their device. This is called Azure Active Directory Seamless Single Sign On.
Another common service, particularly on personal-use apps, is signing in with Facebook/Google/Twitter/LinkedIn. This single sign on uses your social media credentials as the sole authentication.
Definitions of SSO in EHS software
EHS professionals should be inquisitive when told an EHS software solution supports SSO. Different vendors mean different things:
- Some vendors mean one new login for their EHS system gives the user access to all modules deployed within it
- Other vendors mean using existing credentials that a user has for other corporate IT to access all modules within the new EHS system
Pro-Sapien refers to the latter. Users log in with their current Microsoft ID, gaining role-based access. We achieve this through integration with a client’s Active Directory.
It’s a similar story for other Microsoft add-ins, such as LMS365.
Benefits of SSO in the EHS world
Single sign on assists the removal of one barrier to EHS participation: difficulty.
This is particularly true in the Pro-Sapien SSO context, where no new login credentials are required.
In fact, with domain-joined devices, users have already done the login work for Pro-Sapien when they unlock their device in the morning. This is the most beneficial level of SSO.
Consider two scenarios:
- An employee observes a near miss involving unsafe behavior. The employee unlocks their device to report the problem, navigating to the company’s safety software. This tool isn’t used every day, so they’ve forgotten their password. After 2 failed attempts they click “Forgot Password” and wait for the reset email to come through. They go to their inbox to find the email, create a new password, and finally get access to the system. (Total time: 10 minutes)
- An employee observes a near miss involving unsafe behavior. The employee unlocks their device to report the problem, navigating to the company’s safety software. This tool isn’t used every day, but the system knows who the user is already via the device unlock, so they’re in straightaway. (Total time: 5 minutes)
Which scenario is more likely to result in the user actually reporting the near miss?
Even if the user hadn’t forgotten their password in scenario A, it is still more effort than in scenario B. When an employee is short on time and, in their opinion, deems the hazard "not worth it", you've lost some valuable information.
The time is a small difference, but one with a potentially huge impact. One Pro-Sapien client saw a 370% increase in Near Miss reporting after the roll out of our convenient system.
In another vein, which user is more likely to complete a safety training refresher course?
Travis Damgaard Campbell, Senior Business Manager at LMS365 said:
"With LMS365's deep integration within Office 365, learners are signed into their learning environment as soon as they start their computer. This means that LMS365 users enter a well-known environment, where the platform already knows their profile, job and training needs.”
How single sign on works
Regardless of the context used, SSO starts with one login page. In an Azure AD domain-joined device example, that would be this one:
Awesome post!