Paul Pitcher, analyst with Orem, Utah-based research firm KLAS, ventures that not much seems to have changed in the single sign-on market since KLAS published his report in February 2008.

He’ll soon find out. He’s getting ready to launch some new research in that sector.

The recent acquisition of Sentillion by Microsoft and Encentuate by IBM interests him.
And he’s eager to see what the emphasis on healthcare data security and also meaningful rules will affect the market.

For smaller hospitals, he’s wondering if vendors will provide solutions that are separate from context management software.

Pitcher notes that in 2006 SSO/identity management appeared out of nowhere as the most prominent technology in the annual HIMSS Leadership Survey as the top technology hospitals were going to adopt in the next two years. There have been deployments, Pitcher said, but they have not matched the apparent enthusiasm.

“The fact is there are very real benefits, but it’s not a slam dunk,” Pitcher said. “It is hard work. The project is not minor, has enterprise implications and typically competes for the same resources involved in other core projects, especially clinical ones.

SSO is not just a security solution, adds Pitcher. “It ends up impacting physician workflow and their ease of use with technology – more so than nurses, he says.

Pitcher sees the market as poised for growth as provider organizations increasingly are recognizing the need to simplify the online experience for physicians and nurses.  One simplification involves the authentication process and the ability to minimize keystrokes for the end use.

Three trends to watch

1. Growth: Single sign-on technology is clearly a growth market. There is no saturation in sales. There are still plenty of opportunities for vendors.

2. Dual market: Since single sign-on is a component of the identify and access management market, providers usu- ally turn to their access management provider for single sign- on solutions. “It really sets for the providers who the vendors are going to be,” Pitcher said.

3. SeconD level: Analysts are starting to see almost a second level of user experience as the market takes hold. But it’s not measureable yet.

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