Zoho announced SAML-based single sign-on (SSO) support for cloud applications in Zoho Vault, its online password manager for teams. With enterprises rushing to adopt cloud applications, this new feature provides users with a seamless login experience.
“A team password vault is a good starting point for companies, but it only solves part of the problem. Password-based authentication, automated with tools, isn’t standard-based and it still runs the risk of disclosing passwords,” said Rajesh Ganesan, director of product management at Zoho. “By adopting SAML-based single sign-on, Zoho Vault provides a proven and standard-based method to effectively manage and track all application access. The password is not required or disclosed anywhere, allowing IT some elusive peace of mind.”
Zoho Vault leverages the most secure and widely used industry-standard protocol, SAML 2.0, for this purpose and will act as the identity provider in this process. By simply logging into Zoho Vault, users can access a variety of other applications directly. IT managers will have complete control over user access, tracking, and accountability.
Highlights of SAML-based SSO in Zoho Vault
SAML-based single sign-on is a session and user authentication service that validates the exchange of authentication and authorization data between an identity provider and a service provider. The service will automatically authenticate users for the applications they have been provided access with and track user access activities in real-time.
Zoho already provides single sign-on service across its entire suite, i.e., users can log in to all Zoho services with a single set of credentials. With SAML-based SSO, Zoho Vault will now provide highly secure, federated access to all other enterprise cloud applications directly from its interface. Other Zoho Vault highlights include:
Unified login experience:†Users can log in to Zoho Vault once and gain access to websites and enterprise cloud applications without additional logins.
Out-of-the-box integration with popular cloud apps:†Zoho Vault offers out-of-the-box SSO support for popular cloud applications, including Salesforce, Microsoft Office 365, Zendesk, Lucidchart, PagerDuty, and Box. New app integrations are being added every week.
Custom support for SAML-based apps:†Zoho Vault can be configured to integrate with any SAML-based service provider. Users follow a few simple steps to enable SSO access for apps that aren’t supported out of the box.
Centralized admin control:†IT admins can easily manage user access activities and grant or revoke SSO access to SaaS applications.
Zoho Vault is designed for users in large IT organizations that deal with a vast number of websites, cloud applications, and devices in their day-to-day activities. IT managers often find it cumbersome to monitor access and manage a growing number of passwords for the company’s social media profiles, servers, testing environments, and other shared user accounts.
Zoho Vault serves as a centralized vault for enterprise passwords. It helps control access to shared accounts, with multiple levels of permission-based roles that can be assigned to employees based on their job titles and responsibilities. IT teams can track user access activity in those shared accounts in real time with comprehensive audit trials and reports.
Pricing and availability
The SAML-SSO support for cloud apps is available now in the Zoho Vault Enterprise Edition, which starts at $7 per user/month. Zoho Vault is also available in three other editions: The Personal Edition is free and supports one user. The Standard Edition starts at $1 per user/month, and the Professional Edition costs $4 per user/month.
