What is SSO and how does it apply to Centercode?
This article applies to Team and Legacy editions.
What is a Single Sign-On?
In simple terms, Single Sign-On (SSO) is a way to synchronize your account management system (as the Identity Provider - IdP) with your Centercode implementation (as the Service Provider - SP). With SSO in place, a user will log into a single entry point and be able to access the full suite of applications connected to it, including your Centercode portal.
SSO works with Centercode by identifying and sharing a back-end constant owned by your account system (IntegrationID) that both systems can use to bind user accounts together. The IntegrationID is unique for each user and impacts all systems connected to your organization’s IdP. All of a user’s identifiable information is bound to that ID.
How will having Single Sign On impact my users?
Removing points of friction (like additional logins) increases participation and engagement by simplifying how users access your platform and gives you greater control over accounts accessing your exclusive system. If you decide to utilize Single Sign On, be aware that your user Onboarding process will change slightly.
- SP (Service Provider) Initiated Onboarding occurs when a user accesses your login system through a Centercode Opportunity and the information for SSO verification is sent from us to you. If a user creates an account via this method, their account will be assigned to the destination teams for both the Onboarding Opportunity as well as the Team chosen in the SSO configuration.
- IdP (Identity Provider) Initiated Onboarding occurs when a user logs in directly through your IdP and accesses Centercode via an IdP dashboard. You will select a specific opportunity to be used by your SSO and the new account will be assigned to the Teams associated with that opportunity.
When creating a new user account through SSO, the user’s Account Settings information is typically provided by the IdP and will be pre-filled. This information is owned and provided by your IdP. Therefore, it cannot be adjusted in Centercode. Account Setting information that isn’t provided can be filled in by the user on their first login.
What is OAuth and SAML?
Open Standard for Access Delegation (OAuth) and Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) are standard formats for exchanging authentication information between an Identity Provider (IdP - You) and a Service Provider (SP - Centercode).
Next Steps
Before moving forward, you’ll want to verify with your IT team that your IdP is compatible with either OAuth 2.0 or SAML 2.0. The following guide provides dedicated information for configuring your SSO using the authentication standards supported by Centercode:
If you have any questions about Single Sign On, let us know! We’d be happy to address any questions you may have - reach out via in-site chat or email.