Single sign-on (SSO) lets your staff sign in to AdviceAid using the Microsoft account they already use for email and other work tools. There's no separate AdviceAid password to set up or remember.

This article explains what SSO is, why it's worth switching on, and the simple steps to get started. It's written for anyone in your organisation, not just IT staff.

Why use single sign-on

  • One less password. Staff sign in with the Microsoft account they already use every day. There's nothing extra to remember or reset.

  • Faster access for new starters. New staff can get access to AdviceAid automatically, as soon as IT sets them up with a Microsoft account.

  • Access is removed automatically when someone leaves. When IT switches off a person's Microsoft account, their access to AdviceAid is switched off too. There's no separate step to remember.

  • Stronger sign-in checks. Signing in goes through your organisation's own security checks, such as multi-factor authentication, if you use them.

Why this is best practice

Most organisations already manage staff access to their work systems through Microsoft. Adding AdviceAid to this means you have one place to control who can get in, rather than a separate password to manage just for AdviceAid.

This matters most when someone leaves, changes role, or loses a device. Switching off their Microsoft account is enough. You don't need to remember to do anything separately in AdviceAid, and there's no risk of an old account being left active by mistake.

It also means your IT team can apply the same checks to AdviceAid as they do to your other work systems, for example requiring multi-factor authentication.

Getting started: 3 simple steps

  1. Your IT team approves the connection. This is a one-off step where IT confirms AdviceAid can check who's allowed to sign in. It takes a few minutes. Full instructions are in Setting up single sign-on: for IT teams.

  2. A team administrator turns on sign-in with Microsoft and tests it. This is done from within AdviceAid. Full instructions are in Setting up single sign-on: for team administrators.

  3. Staff sign in with their usual Microsoft account. Nothing changes for most staff, except they no longer need an AdviceAid password.

You can turn on single sign-on without switching off the old way of signing in straight away. This means you can test it with a few people first, then turn it on for everyone when you're ready.

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