Sign-on experiences for shared devices are a major pain point for retailers. In today’s episode of Modern Work Mondays, Nolan and Jeff explore how simplifying single sign-on (SSO) can improve security, streamline workflows, and enhance the overall experience for employees and customers.

Moving away from shared credentials

Retailers have traditionally used shared device IDs and passwords. This leads to security risks, especially when an associate leaves and still knows the login credentials. The current solution? Change the password every time someone exits the team. This means everyone has to learn the new one, or worse, the password ends up on a sticky note stuck to the monitor. These setups slow things down, create compliance gaps, and make it difficult to revoke access when needed.

The industry is now shifting toward individual sign-on identities for associates. It’s a more secure setup that also helps simplify daily tasks by connecting to systems like payroll, time tracking, and team communication.

Striking balance between speed and security

As retailers adopt more mobile devices, the speed and ease of sign-on become just as important as the security. No one wants to wait around while an associate jumps through hoops to log in—especially not the customer standing right there.

That’s why Microsoft is focused on simplifying SSO. Using Microsoft Teams as a central hub for frontline work offers communication, shift management, and integrations with third-party or custom-built tools all in one place.

Once signed in, associates can use that same identity across all the tools they need. No more juggling multiple passwords for different apps. It also makes offboarding faster, reduces IT overhead, and helps keep stores compliant.

Simplifying sign-on

Many retailers are still using outdated device sign-in strategies. While those may work for now, they’re not built to scale. Switching to individual sign-on identities helps reduce security risks, streamlines workflows, and simplifies compliance.

Want to learn more? Watch the full episode of Modern Work Mondays now!