Zoom SSO for the Classroom & the Benefits for Schools

Does your school or district have a common computer sign-in system to access resources, also known as Single Sign-On (SSO) or an identity provider (IDP)? Zoom just released an external authentication feature that can benefit schools using Zoom for remote and hybrid classrooms this fall.

SSO allows users to log in one time, under one set of credentials, to get access to all the applications, data, and services they need. Zoom already has an SSO option to make it easy for faculty and staff to securely access their Zoom account. That experience is now extended to the classroom for students, who don’t need a Zoom account but benefit from a more unified access experience.

With Zoom’s external authentication, school IT administrators can now set up their Zoom account so students are required to authenticate against their school identity system or SSO provider before joining a meeting. Students are properly identified within the meeting using the name from your IDP, and only authenticated students are allowed into the session, which provides a host of advantages.

For school and IT administrators, Zoom’s external authentication adds an extra security layer to their hybrid learning processes. For students, the technology simplifies username and password management, streamlining the user experience. For teachers, it’s a better classroom experience.

Students logging into Zoom using SSO credentials ensures:

• A secure way to authenticate users 
• Additional protection for your Zoom classes 
• Students have one-click access to all their school applications
• Students don’t get locked out and miss valuable class time

Additionally, every student’s Zoom meeting history gets logged in the Zoom dashboard, so taking attendance has never been easier.

All of this gives teachers greater peace of mind and allows them to focus on teaching instead of troubleshooting their virtual education technology.

To learn more about the benefits of using Zoom for virtual and hybrid learning, visit our Zoom for Education page.

To start using external authentication in your school, download our K-12 Onboarding Guide.