Any e-commerce system requires users to identify themselves before they make use of the services offered. In the case of ACEweb, this means that in order to register for classes online, a user typically must first sign up for an account by providing an email address and other basic info, and then give themself a password. Of course, they will need to remember those credentials in order to log back in on subsequent visits. Having to generate and keep track of a dictionary full of passwords is part of life in the digital age. One way to mitigate "password fatigue" is through the use of a single sign-on service (SSO). SSO allows users to use one ID and password to gain access to multiple software programs, unrelated either to each other or to the system they are logging into. You have probably seen examples of this on web sites that allow you to log in using Google or Facebook. If you work in education, your institution may allow using a single campus ID to access different applications and services.

ACEweb customers who would like to offer a single sign-on option now have that opportunity. Starting with release .052, ACEweb incorporates support for the Google Sign-In service. (We are holding off on Facebook, at least for now, due to security concerns with that platform.) There's no charge for the Google option, just get with your tech to assist you in getting it set up. You'll need current builds of both AW and Manager, a couple of updated scripts and templates, and a new INI setting (SIGNON) which will contain your Google Client ID. (If you don't have a Client ID, your tech will also help you set one up.) Note that Google Sign-in is offered to your users as an option; they can still use the traditional ACEweb logon process.

If your institution is a member of the InCommon Federation, which uses the open-source Shibboleth package to manage sign-ons, you will soon have the option of integrating ACEweb with the InCommon service. We recently undertook a pilot project to implement this at James Madison University and are happy to report that the system has been functional since last December. Please note that InCommon SSO will be a paid module that requires a fairly involved setup process. Basically, our techs will work with your staff to install a modified version of InCommon's Service Provider on your web server and configure it to work with ACEweb. Watch for this release and more information next month.