Video meeting platform Zoom, which gained popularity in recent times due to the pandemic, has released an external authentication feature in order to provide more secure environment for the classrooms due to pandemic.
Zoom will provide Single Sign-On (SSO) feature allowing users to log in one time, with single credentials, to get access to all the applications, data and services they need, officials from Zoom announced it on Wednesday. The SSO option was already provided to the faculty and staff for secure access into their Zoom account.
“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,” Brendan Ittelson, Chief Technology Officer, Zoom, wrote in a blog post.
Extending on that same experience is now being provided to the classroom service for the students, who do not need a Zoom account but can enjoy the benefit of same unified experience.
Zoom officials explained that school and IT administrators can be assured about the security as this external authentication provides an extra layer to existing security and will enhance hybrid learning processes.
“Students are properly identified within the meeting using the name from your identity provider (IDP), and only authenticated students are allowed into the session, which provides a host of advantages,” Ittelson said.
“Additionally, every student’s Zoom meeting history gets logged in the Zoom dashboard, so taking attendance has never been easier,” Ittelson said.
