Optimizing IT processes in a large company with hundreds of employees is always a challenge. Users there work with different kinds of software: Office365, Google GSuite, Salesforce, Jira, Confluence, etc and need to remember various credentials to get access to each product. The hard part about it is the sheer amount of data that they have to keep in mind, which sometimes leads to users storing passwords in insecure ways. These passwords can then be easily stolen or lost, which inevitably results in access-related issues.

Safe storage with a Single Sign-On solution (SSO)

You may be wondering if there is a way to optimize the storage of credentials. The answer is yes! An easy way out would be to use a single sign-on solution that provides access to multiple independent software products with a single ID and password. Some of the best options on the market are Kantega SSO Enterprise for Jira and Confluence.

These tools contain features for SAML, OpenID Connect and Kerberos SSO and automated user provisioning. SAML and OpenID Connect allow Atlassian users to authenticate at an external identity provider (for example, Okta, AzureAD, AD FS, Google GSuite and many more). With Kerberos, administrators can utilize built-in authentication mechanisms in Microsoft Active Directory environments to completely eliminate passwords and Atlassian login screens when Jira or Confluence is accessed within trusted networks. Moreover, built-in diagnostic tools can be extremely helpful when you need to test setups or identify and fix network and IT environment problems.

Switching between users while resolving tickets

Using an SSO solution will significantly reduce the number of access-related problems. However, some issues still require signing in from an employee’s account, for example, when an application administrator needs to reproduce the employee’s actions when facing a problem, to see what the employee sees, to check something, to adjust the settings, etc. What do you do in this case? Asking for credentials may compromise security since the user has the same login and password for everything and some of these data can be classified as confidential.

How can we handle this situation then? Using a Fast User Switcher (FUS) for Jira or a Fast User Switcher (FUS) for Confluence can be a great solution, as both of these tools allow Jira and Confluence administrators to log in as any user to resolve issues, test processes, provide support or make changes on behalf of employees. What’s important is that it is absolutely secure as you simply switch between users by typing “su” at any page to open a Fast User Switcher dialogue – with no credentials required.

Check out how it works here: download Kantega SSO SAML / Kerberos for Jira or Kantega SSO SAML / Kerberos for Confluence and Fast User Switcher (FUS) for Jira or Fast User Switcher (FUS) for Confluence, and switch between users without compromising security. Together these two apps give system admins real super-power and allow them to configure and align multiple login mechanisms to balance security and usability.

Сheck out our other articles:

• GitHub Enterprise integration with Jira: a step-by-step tutorial
• CCPA vs. GDPR: data privacy laws in Europe and the USA
• 5 tips to make work from home work for you
• Video Tutorial: Portfolio for Jira
• Be SAFe, Part 1: Core Principles and Benefits of the Scaled Agile Framework

Let’s stay in touch!

Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter to get regular updates, tips and special offers delivered directly to your mailbox.