Single Sign-On (SSO)

The Single Sign-On (SSO) category covers products that let users sign in once and reach all the applications they are allowed to use, while the organization controls sign-in in one place. Typical entries connect cloud and on-premises applications through SAML, OpenID Connect and similar standards, provide an application portal, and apply sign-in policy such as stronger checks for sensitive apps.

SSO is often part of a wider identity platform, which can also enter Identity and Access Management (IAM) or Cloud Identity Management. Products whose main job is the second factor fit Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

Related categories to enter

Each category is judged separately, so you can enter a product in every category that matches what it does, with a separate nomination for each. Tailor each nomination to that category's focus. Entering several related categories gives the product more than one chance to be recognized.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) — for the identity platform that SSO belongs to
Cloud Identity Management — for cloud directories and identity-as-a-service
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or Passwordless Authentication — for adding a second factor or removing passwords
Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) — for sign-in to customer-facing apps
Access Control — for deciding what each user can reach
Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) — for creating and removing accounts in connected applications

How entries are judged

An independent jury of security practitioners, analysts and CISOs scores each nomination on leadership, innovation and impact. Each nomination competes in its category against organizations of similar size and region, so a mid-sized firm is not ranked against a global enterprise. Your entry package, any sponsorship and public votes do not affect the jury's scores.

Strong entries in this category show:

Leadership — adoption at scale: users and applications connected, demanding or regulated customers, coverage of older applications that do not support modern standards.
Innovation — a sign-in problem solved in a new way, such as bringing older applications under single sign-on, session controls that react to risk, or one sign-in across several directories.
Impact — results for customers: applications connected, separate passwords removed, help desk tickets cut, time to give new staff access. Give before-and-after figures.

The jury awards Gold, Silver or Bronze, or a Finalist badge, and results are published on this site and announced to the 600,000+ member Cybersecurity Insiders community. Every approved nomination also enters the separate Community Choice award, decided by public votes.

How to enter

A vendor can enter its own product or service, and a PR agency can enter it on a client's behalf. The nomination form has a confidential field for detail that is shared with the judges and not published, such as customer names, deployment figures or roadmap. Deadlines, pricing and entry steps are on the How it Works page.