How is SAWO better than Single Sign On?
Tags: sawolabs, authentication, signon, security
Published: 2021-05-03 11:14:12

Hi  
I'm Siddharth from [SAWO Labs](https://sawolabs.com/)

- Authentication and security are constantly changing, so read on to get a glimpse of the past, present and the future.

- A few years ago, the exploding world of the Internet brought up the need for authentication through user IDs and passwords. Though it worked well initially, the growing use of websites made it difficult for users to keep track of multiple passwords, and this led to the evolution of a concept called single sign-on.

<b>What is Single Sign-on?</b>

- Single sign-on, as the name suggests, is the use of a single password to log in to many websites. This authentication method allows users to enter their user ID and password just once to access independent systems and websites without having to enter the authentication details again.

- The best example of single sign-on is Google or Facebook, where the credentials you use for signing into either of these sites are used for others as well. So, with just a Google or Facebook login, you can access multiple independent sites that have nothing really to do with Google or Facebook.

- Obviously, this worked well for both users and companies because users didn't have to remember multiple passwords, and websites didn't have to store these user details in their database. Overall, it was faster and made life easy for everyone. But like every technology, change and obsolescence got to single sign-on as well.

<b>Downsides of Single Sign-on</b>

- A single sign-on became a blessing for hackers because all that they had to do was hack into just one password to access a whole range of websites.

- Take, for example, the Facebook breach where attackers accessed more than 50 million accounts and their credentials. Though Facebook reset the passwords of 90 million users, the exact impact remains unknown.

- Also, this concept of single sign-on goes against the established principle of &quot;Least Privilege&quot; which states that users should have access only to the minimum data and applications that they need. This is because single sign-on is more about granting than restricting access, and unfortunately, this opens up a can of worms for any organization as they have to grapple with an increased likelihood of a data breach and the financial and reputational loss that can come with it.

- To overcome this impediment, many organizations switched to multi-factor authentication where an OTP was sent to a users mobile phone or email as a second layer of authentication. But that wasn't ideal either because it meant additional work for both users and organizations, along with the additional costs of paying a third-party provider like a cellular operator.

- So, emerged the next wave of authentication that remedied the defects of both multi-factor authentication and single sign-on. This next wave took into account users preferences as well, as it adopted a passwordless approach.

<b>SAWO's Unique Approach</b>

- SAWO Labs has come up with a unique approach to overcome this security drawback of a single sign-on.

- In fact, Secure Authentication Without OTP (SAWO) is a product born out of a need to have a convenient and streamlined authentication service that works well for everyone involved.

- A lot of thought process has gone into making this approach hassle-free, swift, and standardized, thereby giving users and organizations the best of both the worlds of security and flexibility.

<b>How does SAWO work?</b>

- When a user accesses the login page, all that he or she has to do is enter the phone number or email ID associated with the account, and SAWO will automatically verify it to authenticate the user.  

Sounds simple, right?

- The best part is SAWO does not save any password, so there is no possibility for a hacker to access it.

<b>How is SAWO Better Than a Single Sign-on?</b>

- Here are some ways by which SAWO is better than a single sign-on.

  - No passwords are stored, so hackers can't access a single password to gain access to a ton of websites and applications

  - No OTP is involved, so there are no additional charges associated with it.

  - Quick, as it takes less than 0.06 seconds to complete an authentication

  - Secure, because it uses public-private key encryption for all transactions.

  - Seamless and gives users a ton of flexibility

  - Hassle-free authentication for organizations

  - Compatible with all existing industry standards, including some of the strictest ones like FIDO2.

  - Users don't have to remember a plethora of passwords to access different sites

  - There is no need for organizations to implement complex workflows for authentication and payment processing.

  - Increases cash flows for businesses

  - Since it follows a simple workflow, SAWO is highly scalable

- Due to this multitude of benefits, SAWO is undoubtedly a superior alternative to single sign-on. Its hassle-free, secure, and convenient approach has large rates of adoption among both users and organizations.

- So, are you ready to jump on the SAWO bandwagon to be a part of the future?

- Reach out to us right away to see how we can move towards a password-less secure world.

<b>Support & queries</b>  
You can join our [Discord Server](https://discord.gg/TpnCfMUE5P) Community and interact with other developers and can ask for any support you require.

In case of any other query, feel free to reach out to us at community.sawolabs@gmail.com