SSO is the enterprise feature that unlocks enterprise deals.
Enterprise IT departments require SSO for any software their employees use. Without it, you're not even in the procurement conversation. SAML 2.0 and OIDC are the protocols; Okta, Azure AD, and Google Workspace are the identity providers. Adding SSO correctly is a 1-2 week engineering project.
Enterprise customer deal blocked because the product doesn't support Single Sign-On (SSO) — IT department requires SAML or OIDC integration with their identity provider
Enterprise IT departments standardize on an Identity Provider (IdP): Okta, Azure Active Directory, Google Workspace, or Ping Identity. All software their employees use must authenticate via the IdP. This is an IT security requirement, not a preference.
SSO serves two enterprise needs:
Centralized user management. When an employee joins, the IT team provisions access once in the IdP — all connected applications get access automatically. When an employee leaves, one deprovisioning in the IdP revokes access everywhere.
Audit compliance. Enterprise security compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001) requires demonstrating that access is managed and audited. SSO provides a single access control plane.
The protocols:
SAML 2.0: XML-based, enterprise-standard, 20+ years old. Still the dominant protocol for enterprise identity federation. Okta, Azure AD, and most enterprise IdPs support SAML.
OIDC (OpenID Connect): JSON-based, modern. Google Workspace's preferred protocol. Growing adoption in enterprise.
The implementation:
Clerk (auth provider): supports SAML SSO as an enterprise feature at the Business tier ($25+/month). The fastest path to SSO if you're using Clerk.
NextAuth with a custom SAML provider: possible but requires more engineering.
WorkOS or BoxyHQ: dedicated SSO-as-a-service for adding enterprise SSO to any application. Purpose-built for this use case.
SCIM provisioning: automatic user provisioning/deprovisioning from the IdP. Often requested alongside SSO. More complex than SSO itself.
SSO implementation supporting SAML 2.0 and OIDC, compatible with Okta, Azure AD, and Google Workspace, allowing the enterprise deal to proceed
SAML 2.0 integration
with major IdPs (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace)
OIDC integration
as alternative or addition
Per-organization SSO configuration
(each enterprise customer configures their own IdP)
SCIM provisioning
for automatic user lifecycle management (optional)
One honest number to start.
Fixed-scope, fixed-price. The number below is the starting point — final scope is built from your brief.
SSO implementation supporting SAML 2.0 and OIDC, compatible with Okta, Azure AD, and Google Workspace, allowing the enterprise deal to proceed
Three steps, every time.
The same repeatable engagement on every project. No surprises, no mystery, no billable ambiguity.
Brief & discovery.
We send you questions, then get on a call. Output: a written scope with every step, feature, and integration listed.
Build & ship.
Fixed schedule, weekly reviews. No scope creep unless you change the scope — and if you do, we reprice it transparently.
Warranty & retainer.
30-day warranty on every launch. Most clients stay on a monthly retainer for ongoing features and maintenance.
Why Fixed-Price Matters Here
SSO implementation is a well-understood engineering task. Scoped and priced per protocol.
Questions, answered.
Using WorkOS or BoxyHQ: 1-2 weeks. Building SAML handling from scratch: 2-4 weeks.
SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) automates user provisioning: when an admin adds a user in Okta, SCIM creates the user in your app. When they're deactivated in Okta, SCIM deactivates them in your app. Required for larger enterprise customers; often a follow-up to SSO.
Tell Ryel about your project.
Describe what you’re building and what outcome you need. You’ll have a written, fixed-price scope within the week.