Remote workforces introduce unique SSO requirements: users authenticate from unmanaged networks, personal devices, and multiple time zones.
Key factors to evaluate:
- Device trust and conditional access — can the SSO solution verify whether the device is MDM-enrolled before granting access?
- Adaptive MFA — does it step up authentication for logins from new locations or unusual hours, without adding friction to routine logins?
- VPN-free access — cloud-native SSO should not require VPN to authenticate; look for Zero Trust-compatible solutions.
- Offline/cached authentication — what happens if the IdP is unreachable? Can users access critical apps via cached tokens?
- Global availability and uptime SLA — for distributed teams, the IdP must have low-latency endpoints in multiple regions and a 99.9%+ uptime guarantee.
- Mobile SSO support — native mobile app SSO (not just browser-based) is essential for remote teams on iOS/Android.
- Session management controls — ability to remotely terminate sessions if a device is lost or an employee is terminated.
