[Customer Story] How Appsian Solved University Of Nebraska’s Unique SAML Authentication & IdP Configuration

The University of Nebraska uses PeopleSoft Campus Solutions for its student information system and wanted to streamline authentication for students, faculty, and staff across eight separate campus locations. So, they turned to a single sign-on integration solution from Appsian that enhanced security practices but was flexible enough to allow the eight campuses to retain the Identity Provider (IdP) of their choice.

Centralized SAML Authentication & Scalability: The Missing Pieces

When the University approached Appsian for a SAML SSO, they were currently using a custom, home-grown solution. This solution was not scalable in the long term and created a significant amount of complexity.

Our team realized that the University of Nebraska was struggling with three key challenges –

• The University uses two instances of PeopleSoft – One for the University System (five campuses) and one for the State College System (three campuses).
• Each campus has its own PeopleSoft Internet Architecture (PIA) within its designated instance of PeopleSoft.
• The University utilizes eight different Identity Providers (IdPs) across all locations.

To streamline the SAML authentication process and improve the user experience across multiple applications, the University had to reduce the overall number of authentications by centralizing authentication management from a common platform. The University’s IT security leadership was impressed with Appsian’s ability to provide continuous support and offer creative and sustainable alternatives to offer the best solution for SAML integration.

Solving The University’s Unique IdP Configuration

The University’s security team was looking for PeopleSoft SAML integration to deliver a single sign-on solution that met their unique configuration requirements. Appsian’s solution was attractive to them since it was native to PeopleSoft. It enabled all eight campuses to retain the IdP of their choice. In addition, they could map to any one of the eight PIA instances.

“Instead of viewing our unique configuration as “the client’s problem,” Appsian looks for creative and sustainable alternatives to provide the best solution,” said William Barrera Fuentes, Director of the Nebraska Student Information Systems.

We enabled some unusual configurations that ensured all eight campus locations (and PIAs) could keep using their IdPs without sacrificing security or flexibility. Their team was happy that the cost of ownership did not increase by deploying additional infrastructure to support SSO and SAML authentication.

Native SAML Compatibility For PeopleSoft & Secure SSO With Appsian

Appsian’s PeopleSoft customer base includes multiple organizations in the education sector like the University of Nebraska looking for a configurable SSO solution with no custom development. With Appsian’s PeopleSoft SSO Connector, organizations can:

• Leverage existing investment in SSO solutions to authenticate PeopleSoft sessions via SAML-based Identity Providers
• Access PeopleSoft via deep link navigation (sent by email or other communication channels)
• Support multiple IdPs concurrently for consolidated systems with separate user groups
• Deploy your multiple IdP’s SSO in PeopleSoft as quick as 7 days with no additional hardware or custom coding

Schedule a demo with our experts to learn how Appsian integrates native SAML functionality in PeopleSoft to deliver a seamless Single Sign-On.

Customer Profile:

The University of Nebraska is the state’s only public university system, consisting of five campuses, each with a distinct role and mission. Together the campuses enroll 51,000 students and employ 16,000 faculty and staff who serve the state and world through education, research, and outreach.

Related Reading: University of Nebraska Case Study