It’s no secret that managing PeopleSoft passwords can be challenging. This has been a hot topic for years – and with COVID-19, we’re seeing a resurgence from increased remote access. A remote workforce can quickly put a strain on IT help desk services – especially with resetting passwords. Btw, hackers know that passwords are being reset at a record pace, as demonstrated by the massive uptick in phishing attempts (+667% since Feb. according to Forbes.)
With a myriad of IT projects and an ever-changing list of demands from the organization, setting priorities can be difficult. We’d suggest PeopleSoft customers prioritize a single sign-on for (4) key reasons:
PeopleSoft Passwords are a Security Liability
I eluded to this above, but the statistics speak for themselves. According the 2019 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report, ‘91% of hacking attacks begin with phishing/spear phishing attacks.’ Organizations try to mitigate this by using a VPN. However, after the expense and potential disruption in service after a large percentage of your workforce is accessing critical business transactions using a VPN – there is little ROI in this strategy.
Might I suggest, requiring VPN access for ‘high privilege’ access only? Normal users that are accessing self-service can be secured by leveraging a Single Sign-On (and possible multi-factor authentication.)
IT Resources Need to be More ‘Focused’ Than Ever
We don’t need to belabor this point but suffice to say that changing your business operations overnight (in the case of COVID-19) causes complexity. Ensuring network/server availability and using help desk services to troubleshoot strategic issues is better than one-off password resets.
The ROI of an SSO Project (over time) is Very High
When you count up the hours spent managing passwords (80% of help desk calls), you quickly find that removing the complexity of PeopleSoft password management, is an ROI positive project. Add in the lost productivity of users not being able to access business transactions (because they’re waiting for their password to be reset), then the ROI increases. Bottom line, an SSO project will delight both users, IT teams, and your CFO alike!
This Project Can be Done Quickly (2-4 weeks.)
We’ve come to the (sort of) tricky part. Organizations have tackled SSO projects using customizations and home-grown solutions – all of which modify PeopleSoft code and create challenges down the line. Needless to say, if you’re looking for rapid deployment, with minimum complexity (today and in the future) – than a configurable approach is recommended.
This is where Appsian comes in, as we’ve developed the native SAML connector that can seamlessly integrate your Identity Provider (OKTA, ADFS, Azure, Shibb, etc.) with PeopleSoft – creating a configurable Single Sign-On. Thus, not effecting underlying PeopleCode or having an impact on future application upgrades.
Bottom line, if you’re looking to quickly alleviate a lot of the complexity around PeopleSoft identity and access management – Appsian can help! We have worked with hundreds of PeopleSoft customers around the world, helping them remove costly customizations and implement a SAML-configured Single Sign-On for PeopleSoft.
Let us show you! We can get you up in running in a couple of weeks!
