Secure Access to Multiple Systems

Remote work requires employees to access various digital platforms and communication apps. Ensuring secure access to these systems while maintaining a smooth user experience can be challenging. Traditional username and password combinations are not only inconvenient but also pose security risks due to the likelihood of weak or reused passwords.

Password Fatigue and User Experience

When employees must remember multiple login credentials for different systems, it increases the risk of password fatigue. This situation often leads to unsafe practices such as writing down passwords or reusing the same password across multiple services. This compromises security and frustrates users, reducing productivity.

Increased Security Risks

With employees working remotely, often from less-secure networks and devices, the risk of cyberattacks increases. Phishing, credential theft, and brute-force attacks are common threats that can exploit weak authentication systems.

User Onboarding and Offboarding

Efficiently managing user accounts when employees join or leave the organisation is crucial for security. Delays or oversights in removing access for former employees can leave the organisation vulnerable to unauthorised access.

Compliance and Data Protection

Many industries have strict data protection regulations such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Ensuring secure access to sensitive data while maintaining compliance is challenging when employees are accessing systems remotely. Any breach in security or compliance can result in severe penalties and reputational damage.

Managing Access Control

IT departments must ensure that employees have the appropriate access to resources. This can become complex when managing permissions for remote employees, especially when roles or projects change. Without centralised access management, ensuring the right people have access to the right systems can lead to inefficiencies or security vulnerabilities.

1. Secure and Seamless Access

With Shibboleth SSO, users authenticate once using a single set of credentials and can access multiple systems without needing to log in again. This reduces the need for multiple passwords, lowering the risk of credential theft and improving the user experience.

For example: An employee working from home can access their company’s LMS, email, and document storage with one login. This eliminates the need to remember different passwords for each platform.

2. Enhanced Security Through Federated Identity

Shibboleth supports federated identity management, meaning organisations can securely manage access across different domains and services. It integrates seamlessly with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to provide an additional layer of security. Even if a user’s password is compromised, MFA ensures that attackers cannot gain access without the second authentication factor.

Example of Federated Identity: A university using Shibboleth SSO can allow students and faculty to access third-party services like digital libraries and collaboration tools without creating separate accounts for each service.

3. Centralised Access Control

Shibboleth SSO enables IT departments to manage access permissions centrally. Administrators can define who can access specific resources based on roles or groups. This ensures that employees only have access to the resources they need, reducing the risk of unauthorised access.

For instance: If an employee changes roles, IT can quickly update their permissions through the central identity management system without needing to modify access on each individual platform.

4. Reducing Password Fatigue

Shibboleth SSO alleviates password fatigue by reducing the number of credentials users need to remember. This not only enhances productivity but also encourages the use of stronger, unique passwords for their primary login. Employees no longer need to rely on insecure practices like writing down passwords or reusing them across multiple services.

5. Compliance and Data Protection

Shibboleth’s secure authentication mechanisms help organisations comply with data protection regulations such as GDPR. By implementing Shibboleth SSO, organisations can ensure that only authorised users access sensitive data, reducing the risk of data breaches.

Additionally, Shibboleth’s use of open standards like SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) ensures that authentication processes are transparent, secure, and interoperable with various systems.

6. Efficient User Onboarding and Offboarding

With Shibboleth SSO, adding or removing user accounts is streamlined. When a new employee joins, IT can provision their access centrally. Similarly, when an employee leaves, IT can disable their access in one place, ensuring they can no longer access any company systems.

SafetyWing 

What they do: SafetyWing provides insurance for digital nomads and remote teams. Their goal is to build a global safety net, offering travel medical insurance and health insurance for remote workers and companies. 

Why they hire remote: SafetyWing's mission is to create a global safety net, so hiring remotely aligns perfectly with their values. They have over 100 employees spread across 60 countries, which helps them understand the needs of their target market (digital nomads and remote workers) firsthand. 

Zapier 

What they do: Zapier is a web-based service that allows end users to integrate the web applications they use and automate workflows. They connect apps like Slack, Gmail, and Trello to automate repetitive tasks. 

Why they hire remote: Zapier has been fully remote since its founding in 2011. They believe remote work allows them to hire the best talent regardless of location, leading to a more diverse and skilled workforce. Remote work also aligns with their product, which is designed to improve productivity and efficiency for users worldwide. 

Automattic 

What they do: Automattic is the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and other popular web services. They focus on making the web a better place with their open-source contributions. 

Why they hire remote: Automattic has been a distributed company since its inception. They believe that work is about what you produce, not where you produce it. This approach allows them to hire talented individuals from around the world, fostering diversity and bringing in a wide range of perspectives to their products. 

Appcues 

What they do: Appcues helps companies build personalised product experiences and increase product adoption. They provide tools for creating in-app onboarding, feature announcements, and user surveys without coding. 

Why they hire remote: Appcues values diversity and wants to access a larger talent pool. They have over 100 employees across 11 countries, allowing them to tap into global expertise. Remote work aligns with their culture of flexibility and work-life balance.