Every forgotten password is a customer who almost didn’t log in. Another reset email, another minute of friction, another reason to just pick up the phone instead of using your portal.
Single Sign-On (SSO) eliminates this entirely. Customers log in with credentials they already use daily — Google, Microsoft, Okta — and they’re in. No new passwords to forget, no reset emails, no friction.
Why SSO Matters for Customer Portals
Security
When customers create portal-specific passwords, they tend to reuse passwords from other services or choose weak ones. SSO eliminates this risk by delegating authentication to enterprise-grade identity providers that enforce password policies, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and other security controls.
Reduced login friction
Every additional login creates friction. If a customer has to reset their password every time they visit your portal (because they can’t remember it), they’ll eventually stop visiting. SSO removes this barrier entirely — if they’re logged into their company’s system, they’re logged into your portal.
IT administration for B2B customers
For B2B customers, SSO means their IT team can manage portal access through their existing identity management. When an employee leaves the company, revoking their identity provider access automatically revokes portal access — no separate deprovisioning needed.
Compliance
Regulated industries require strong authentication. SSO through enterprise identity providers satisfies audit requirements for authentication controls, MFA enforcement, and access management.
How SSO Works
The most common SSO protocols for customer portals:
SAML 2.0
The established standard for enterprise SSO. Your portal acts as a Service Provider (SP), and the customer’s identity system is the Identity Provider (IdP). When a customer visits your portal, they’re redirected to their IdP for authentication, then redirected back with a SAML assertion proving their identity.
OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect (OIDC)
The modern standard for SSO, widely used by Google, Microsoft, and consumer identity providers. More developer-friendly than SAML and well-suited for web and mobile applications.
Social login
Allowing login via Google, Microsoft, Apple, or other social accounts. Less common for B2B portals but useful for consumer-facing portals where enterprise SSO isn’t relevant.
For implementation details, see our authentication guide.
SSO Providers Commonly Integrated
- Google Workspace — Common for SMBs using Google’s ecosystem
- Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) — Standard for enterprise customers
- Okta — Leading identity provider for businesses
- Auth0 — Developer-friendly identity platform (now part of Okta)
- OneLogin — Enterprise identity management
- JumpCloud — Directory-as-a-service popular with SMBs
When to Offer SSO
SSO is especially valuable when:
- Your customers are B2B companies with their own IT infrastructure
- You serve regulated industries (healthcare, financial services, legal)
- Your portal handles sensitive data (financial records, personal information, proprietary documents)
- Your customers’ employees need team-based access to the portal
For smaller customers without enterprise identity providers, offer SSO as an option alongside traditional email/password authentication.