SAML authentication: Your 5 most frequently asked questions answered

“My meeting got hacked,” – unfortunately, this headline is no longer a hypothetical thing of the future. Either it’s a case of disruptive intrusion of the video-meeting with unsolicited content or a pure cyberattack, followed by a privacy breach, one thing remains clear: at Interactio, we are responsible for more than a smooth setup of the meeting. We ensure the data protection of all the people who participate in our events. 

If you still aren’t sure how we protect your data, check out this article. 

Today we’re taking it one step further by discussing your five frequently asked questions about data protection and SAML authentication. 

What is SAML authentication? ‍

SAML stands short for Security Assertion Markup Language which is an open method of identity verification. SAML authentication enables single sign-on (SSO), saving your users pain of password proliferation. With SAML authentication, there is no need to type in your credentials upon each login or remember, and renew passwords every time you access a recurring meeting at Interactio. Similarly, you can be confident that only authorized people can access your meetings with little to no threat of security breach. ‍

How does it work? ‍

Two parties make SAML authentication possible: identity provider and service provider. Before granting the authorization right to the end-user, the service provider generates a request, checking the user’s credentials with the identity provider. An identity provider confirms the end user’s identity by matching it with the data in the directory. 

Here is how it works in our case. 
When the user tries to connect on the Interactio event panel, Interactio generates a SAML request and the browser redirects the user to an SSO (single sign-on) URL unique to the user’s organization. Once the request is recognized, the organization authorizes the log-in attempt and enables the user to log in without asking to use a user name and the password.‍

Why did Interactio decide to use SAML authentication?‍

At Interactio, we put the security of our meetings at the top of the priority list. With SAML authentication, we can be confident that we apply the most advanced and reliable measures to ensure the data protection of our clients. ‍

We’re a small organization that hosts meetings for up to 100 people. Why should we care about SAML authentication?‍

SAML authentication is a powerful step against cyberattacks and unwanted visitors in any meeting – no matter the size. With SSO, you can be confident that only authorized users from your organization can access the platform and participate in your events. Having SAML is also beneficial because it doesn’t require many resources: once the authentication is enabled on the client-side, it can be easily integrated into any software used by the organization. ‍

Is SAML authentication beneficial for the end-user? How will it impact participants’ experience at my meeting/event? ‍

In short, yes! SAML authentication takes user experience to the next level by eliminating participants’ need to remember multiple usernames and passwords for login. Before you start brushing it off as a nice-to-have memory aid, let us make it clear: SAML authentication is a cornerstone of your end-users privacy in hybrid and online meetings. While you can control who has access to the meeting from the event organizer’s side, each individual participant gets a foolproof guarantee that their personal data is safely processed and never collected or stored by Interactio without their consent.

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