Identity Management

Single sign-on at the University

Single sign-on at the University

Single sign-on is an authentication and authorisation system. Firstly, you authenticate so that the system knows who you are. Then, you can access web resources that you are authorised to access.

The change to Single sign-on (SSO) will mean that for the vast majority of users on campus you “Sign On” once to your desktop via your normal login. Your credentials are subsequently used to check whether you are authorised to access protected web resources. This should be a familiar concept to anyone who has used the MyExeter portal which currently implements SSO for a good number of resources.

Occasionally you must log into the Single Sign On system itself - but only on the first occasion you access one of the protected web resources in your browser session – you will be prompted automatically when you either …

• are off campus
• use a browser other than Internet Explorer or Firefox
• use Firefox but have not set your preferences to enable trusted login (a helper page will appear and guide you through the simple process of enabling this)

This is designed to enhance the user experience, improve security and greatly simplify administration/maintenance.

The real benefit is felt when many web resources are integrated with the SSO system and we will aim to greatly increase the coverage over the coming weeks.

Note: If you are using Internet Explorer please ensure that you are using Internet Explorer version 7. Earlier versions are prone to intermittent failure during the automated login sequence.

Any problems should be reported via the helpdesk who should assign any SSO or FSC issues to the Advanced Systems team.