Single sign-on has long been touted as the ultimate solution for a growing number of login and password-management challenges. From system server logins to Web-based Internet banking and e-mail programs, users are often bombarded with a vast number of different system logins each day—most of which require different usernames and passwords.

With single sign-on, users log in one time, and the computer then takes over to perform any subsequent logins automatically on behalf of the user.

This paper looks at the current standing of single sign-on authentication technology and explores the benefits, security concerns, costs and return on investment (ROI) that can come from the right kind of single sign-on solution.