SSO

SSO — single sign-on — lets people use one identity to access many applications, instead of maintaining a separate username and password for each. Sign in once, and that verified identity carries across the connected services.

There's a spectrum. At the simplest end, "sign in with Google," "sign in with Microsoft," and "sign in with Apple" buttons are a lightweight form of SSO — convenient and identity-based rather than password-based. At the more robust end is true federated single sign-on using protocols like SAML and OIDC, often through a dedicated identity provider, which gives you central control over access and offboarding.

The strategic value is the shift from thinking about your company as a scattering of independent passwords to thinking about it in terms of identities. One important caveat: SSO is tied to your domain name, so it's best turned on once your brand identity is settled, not while you're still workshopping it.