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Enterprise Security

What Is SSO? Enterprise Security Definition and How Teams Use It

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Quick Answer

SSO, or single sign-on, lets a user sign in once with their company account and reach several applications without separate passwords. The company's identity provider confirms who the user is, and each application trusts that confirmation. For inspection software, SSO means staff use existing credentials, security policies such as multi-factor authentication apply automatically, and access ends when someone leaves.

What is single sign-on?

Single sign-on is an authentication method in which one central service, called the identity provider, verifies a user and then vouches for them to other applications. Common identity providers include Microsoft Entra ID, formerly Azure AD, Okta, and Google Workspace. The applications a user reaches this way are called service providers, and they rely on open standards such as SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect to accept the sign-in.

The user sees a simple result: one login for email, HR, and operational tools. The organisation gets something more important, which is a single place to enforce password rules and multi-factor authentication and a single switch to turn access off.

How SSO works in practice

When an inspector opens an application that uses SSO, the application redirects them to the identity provider. If they are already signed in, the provider sends back a signed confirmation and the application opens. If not, they sign in once with their company credentials. The application never stores or sees the password.

SSO answers the question of who the user is. It does not decide what they can do. That is the job of role-based access control inside each application, which assigns permissions by role and site. The two are normally used together, and the biggest practical gain is offboarding: disabling one directory account removes access to every connected tool, which matters for contractors and seasonal field staff.

How InspectWrk handles SSO

InspectWrk supports single sign-on with SAML 2.0 compatible identity providers, including Azure AD, Okta, Google Workspace, and OneLogin. Administrators connect the identity provider during setup, so inspectors and managers sign in with their existing company credentials and access stays aligned with company policy.

Once signed in, role-based access control governs which templates, sites, and reports each person can use, and the audit trail records their actions. SSO is included in the Enterprise plan. See the Integrations and API feature page for how the connection is set up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does SSO stand for?

SSO stands for single sign-on. It describes a setup in which a person signs in once, through their organisation's identity provider, and is then able to open other approved applications without entering a separate username and password for each. The identity provider is the system that holds the user directory, such as Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, or Google Workspace. Each connected application trusts the identity provider's confirmation instead of running its own login. SSO is mainly a security and administration measure. It reduces the number of passwords in use, applies one set of sign-in rules everywhere, and gives IT a single place to grant and remove access.

What is the difference between SSO and RBAC?

SSO and role-based access control solve two different problems. SSO handles authentication, which means proving that a user is who they claim to be, by relying on the company identity provider. RBAC handles authorisation, which means deciding what that user is allowed to see and do once they are inside an application, based on their role. An inspector and a regional manager may both sign in through the same SSO, but RBAC gives the inspector access to assigned checklists at one site and gives the manager reports across a region. Most organisations use both: SSO to control the front door and RBAC to control the rooms behind it.

What are SAML and OpenID Connect?

SAML and OpenID Connect are the two open standards most commonly used to deliver single sign-on. SAML 2.0, the Security Assertion Markup Language, is the older and widely adopted standard for business applications. The identity provider sends the application a signed message, called an assertion, stating who the user is. OpenID Connect is a newer standard built on OAuth 2.0 that does the same job using tokens and is common in modern web and mobile apps. For a buyer, the practical question is whether the application supports the standard their identity provider uses. Most identity providers support both, and SAML 2.0 remains the usual requirement in enterprise procurement.

Why does SSO matter for field and inspection teams?

Field teams are often large, spread across many sites, and include contractors and temporary staff, which makes account management hard. Without SSO, each person has a separate login for the inspection tool, passwords get shared or reused, and accounts stay active after people leave. With SSO, access follows the company directory. A new starter gets access through their normal account, multi-factor authentication applies if the company requires it, and disabling the directory account removes access at once. That also protects the integrity of inspection records, because every submission is tied to a named, verified individual rather than a shared login, which is what an auditor expects to see.

How does InspectWrk support SSO?

InspectWrk supports single sign-on with SAML 2.0 compatible identity providers, including Azure AD, Okta, Google Workspace, and OneLogin. An administrator connects the identity provider during setup, after which staff sign in with their existing company credentials and sign-in policy is managed centrally. Inside the platform, role-based access control decides which sites, templates, and reports each user can reach, and the audit trail records who did what and when. SSO is available on the Enterprise plan. Used together, these controls mean access is granted through one directory, limited by role, and fully traceable, which is what IT and compliance teams look for when approving a field tool.

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