How the University of Nebraska Centralized SSO Across Eight Campuses

Eight campuses. Eight identity providers. One seamless sign-on. How the University of Nebraska unified PeopleSoft access without disrupting local autonomy.

A Unified Vision for a Distributed Campus System

The University of Nebraska wanted to simplify access to its student information system across eight campus locations—without sacrificing the flexibility and independence each campus had built into its identity infrastructure.

Their goal was to reduce login fatigue, strengthen security, and deliver a streamlined authentication experience for thousands of students, faculty, and staff without imposing a one-size-fits-all solution on every campus.

Complexity Behind the Scenes: A Tangle of Instances and Identity Providers

Behind the scenes, the University operated two PeopleSoft instances: one supporting five University System campuses and another for three State College campuses. Each of the eight campuses had its own PeopleSoft Internet Architecture (PIA) and managed its own Identity Provider (IdP).

The University also relied on a homegrown two-factor authentication solution, which lacked the flexibility and scalability to serve its broader goals. Authentication was fragmented, context-limited, and inconsistent across applications. The University knew it needed a better approach, one that could unify login experiences across campuses without disrupting existing IdP relationships.

One Solution, Infinite Flexibility

The University partnered with Pathlock to implement a PeopleSoft-native SAML single sign-on solution. Pathlock’s integration allowed:

• All eight PIAs to remain intact
• Each campus to keep its preferred IdP
• Centralized SSO without additional infrastructure

This meant users could authenticate once and access systems securely, while each campus retained control over its local identity environment.

A Seamless Rollout and Long-Term Partnership

Following an intensive test and validation process, the University went live in just six months. The result was a scalable, flexible authentication solution that fit the institution’s exacting requirements.

Beyond the technology, the University credits Pathlock’s support team with their success, providing expert guidance, rapid response, and product updates aligned to the University’s evolving needs.