Ping Identity has integrated its PingConnect on-demand Single Sign-On service with Google Apps to deliver a universal Software as a Service login which, according to company officials, "ties together different SaaS (News - Alert) environments by managing user access and authentication in the cloud."

The combined offering is based on the OpenID open authentication protocol with Google (News - Alert) Apps acting as an OpenID provider and PingConnect acting as an OpenID relying party. Once a user’s identity has reached PingConnect, it can then transfer to any SaaS providers who integrate with PingConnect via Security Assertion Markup Language.

Users can now log in to their Google Apps domain, then directly access their other SaaS applications, such as Salesforce CRM with no further authentication required, reducing the number of passwords needed. This includes not only Salesforce but WebEx, Concur, SuccessFactors and "more than 60 other SaaS applications," company officials say. 

Last November, TMC reported that Ping announced PingConnect for Software-as-a-Service applications.

Ping Identity CEO Andre Durand pitched the product as a way to let users "take full advantage of the benefits of SaaS without the constraints that come with managing user passwords across any number of SaaS platforms.”

Google Enterprise and cloud system integrator Appirio both see strong market demand for this type of solution.

Eric Sachs, Google Apps Security Team product manager, noted that successful integrations of multiple SaaS applications in a single environment "have been limited in the past.”

Mike Epner, head of Appirio's cloud strategy consulting practice, also noted that Appirio uses PingConnect within its organization to manage SSO across Salesforce and Google Apps, and is also offering PingConnect along with its products and services.

comments powered by Disqus