Authentication Methods for California K-12 Schools

Here are the results of Survey recently taken by California K-12 schools CEPTA members listing what authentication methods they use for both students and staff and what options they are researching and trending toward in the future.  If you want, you can take survey too by clicking on the link below.  Internet Software Sciences is looking to implement additional authentication login methods into their Web+Center help desk product and is looking for  CA K-12 school partners to aid this integration.  Please contact ISS if interested.

 

Survey Results (12 respondents)


 

Question #1:

Please list your User Authentication technologies you use currently (i.e. Active Directory, Google Authentication, CAS, or a single signon, propriety technologies, etc) for network sign-on or application login

Results: (12 users)

Primary Authentication: 

  •   10 Users – Active Directory
  • 1 User Google Authentication
  • 1 user – Novell Edirectory

Secondary Authentication:

  • 8 Google Authentication
  • 1 Active Directory
  • 1 Radius

Third Authentication Method:

  • Two-Step authentication for certan applications
  • Clever
  • power school
  • Google Auth (with GADS/GAPS)

 

Question #2:

Are there any new user authentication technologies you plan to migrate to or implement in the future?

12 results of

  • Potential single-sign on through google API with our SIS
  • single signon
  • Google Authentication
  • Possibly Clever
  • Clever as a go between

 

Question #3:

Comments on your current authentication processes – Explain why you like or dislike the set of authentication tools you now use

Results:

  • They both have benefits and challenges, but for the most part they are pretty straight forward
  • We use two-step cloud authentication with our business systems connection to our County Office applications.We also use Cisco VPN for this purpose and want to move away from that as it requires local software install on devices.
  • While not true SSO, the AD/LDAP sync with Google and Clever allows us to minimize administrative overhead. Several systems in use don’t support these methods and keeping track of which do and which do not is painful.
  • We ise powerschool to generate the password and username. It gets transferred to AD and Google. So students get one password for all and one screen for us to modify as needed
  • Nothing is synced, so we manage multiple systems.
  • We sync AD and Google. We generally try to link web based services to Google OAuth and all other services to LDAP. We don’t like having two usernames. But synchronizing the passwords helps my users.
  • Would prefer to use Google SSO
  • Most user AD/LDAP, some use Radius, others use GAFE. Too many places to test when something is wrong. LDAP would be preferable but each vendor comes with their own take on things.

 

Question #4

Are there any new user authentication technologies you plan to migrate to or implement in the future?

Results:

  • Potential single-sign on through google API with our SIS
  • single signon
  • N/A
  • Google Authentication
  • Active Directory
  • Possibly Clever
  • FoxPass w Google
  • Clever as a go between
  • Single Sign On