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Single Sign-On (SSO) Glossary of Terms
Who is this article for?IT Personnel implementing SSO for authentication.
Access to your SSO provider settings and admin access is needed.
This article provides definitions for the main terms used when discussing Single Sign-On (SSO).
This article does not include any steps for configuring SSO and instead provides a glossary of terms to help explain the concepts and purpose of some of the features.
Ready to implement Single Sign-On (SSO)? Visit Getting Started with Single Sign-On (SSO) for more details.
1. Glossary
Authentication
The process of verifying the identity of a user. Please also see MFA.
Authentication Protocol
A protocol designed to transfer authentication data.
Identity Provider (IdP)
An entity that handles the authentication. This is done by generating an assertation as proof that the user has been authenticated.
Microsoft Azure
Now known as Entra.
Microsoft Entra
Formerly known as Azure. A Microsoft platform that can be used as an (Identity Provider IDP) to manage user authentication. Ideagen Quality Management has been tested using Microsoft Entra as the IDP
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
An authentication method in which a user is only granted access after successfully providing two or more forms of evidence. For example, an authenticator code as well as a password.
Okta
An authentication solution that can act as the Identity Provider (IDP).
OpenID Connect (OIDC)
An authentication protocol that works on top of the OAuth 2.0 framework. It is focused on identity assertion only and does not include permissions or authorisation data. OpenID Connect is supported in Ideagen Quality Management 7.2 or higher.
PingID
PingID is a SaaS authentication service designed to provide a secure means of authentication for employees and partners.
Protocol
A set of procedures for transmitting data between devices or services.
SAML
Security Assertation Markup Language (abbreviated to SAML) is an authentication protocol. SAML is not supported with Ideagen Quality Management.
Service Provider (SP)
An application or web service that requires authentication, such as Ideagen Quality Management.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
Allows users to authenticate one on website, system, or service and then be authenticated for another with the same set of credentials.
SSO User
Any client that attempts authentication via SSO.
User Principal Name (UPN)
A unique identifier for the user, usually stored in the Identity Provider (IDP). This may be a unique string of characters or an email address depending on the IDP.
User Provisioning
The process of synchronising users stored in the Identity Provider IDP with Ideagen Quality Management by associating the unique ID (the UPN) in the IDP with the Ideagen Quality Management user.