Most online services provided by campus use a Single-Sign-On (SSO) model for authentication. SSO employs a central authentication service when you log into different applications such as Canvas, Office 365, Banner, or the mySEMO portal. Once you log into one application using SSO, other applications who use SSO will know who you are automatically, meaning you don't have to re-authenticate when you access those services.
This is both secure and convenient. However, it does require you to log off your computer when you are not using it and to not share your computer with others without logging off first. Otherwise, they may have access to applications using your account.
It also presents a challenge when you have multiple accounts. For example, if I use one account for my normal work (e.g., email, Canvas), but another account for administrative work (e.g., Banner), my computer may try to authenticate me using the wrong account. There are a few options to keep your accounts, work and access separate.
- Use different browsers for different accounts. Most of our services on web-based and accessed using a browser. The SSO authentication information is managed within a browser (e.g., Chrome, Edge, Firefox). I will use one browser (i.e., Edge) for my normal staff account and another browser (i.e., Chrome) for my administrative work. This keeps both accounts and my access to these services separate.
- Use Incognito (Chrome) or Private (Edge) window on your browser. By using private mode, your browser doesn't record or track information on who you are. It will not use any SSO authentication information from your normal browser to automatically log you into a service. NOTE: You can only use Incognito/Private mode for one account at a time.
- Most browsers allow you to setup multiple profiles. On your browser, go to "Settings" and look to create a new profile. Then you can switch between profiles when logging into different services.
If you have questions, please contact the IT Helpdesk.