SAP’s Identity Authentication Service: What You Need to Know

SAP SuccessFactors has announced the End of Support for Basic Authentication and Third-Party IDPs starting June 2, 2025, and all customers must transition to Identity Authentication Services (IAS). But why is this so important, and how does it affect you?

One Point of Access for All Products

First off, SAP discontinued the Single Sign-On (SSO) function in SAP’s SuccessFactors Platform. Therefore, you need alternative log-in access, which is where IAS comes in. It is a positive thing because IAS is now the “one-stop shop” for accessing all of your SAP products. Customers can now connect the sign-on process for their users instead of having to set up SSO for each product. This makes for a much improved day-to-day experience.

IAS and Internal vs. External Learners in SAP SuccessFactors Learning

Customers already using the integrated external learner solution can continue using it. Those who want to offer learning to non-employee users have two alternatives in place via the integrated external user feature:

1. SAP SuccessFactors Learning customers can create users as internal users in the SAP SuccessFactors Platform and use its authentication system.

This is recommended for users with a working relationship, such as contingent workers. Mobile, theming, and SAP Jam integration are also available.

1. SAP SuccessFactors Learning customers can opt to create Learning-only users in Learning rather than the SAP SuccessFactors Platform.

This is recommended for non-workers such as customers, distributors, or partners. This method does not currently support mobile, theming, or SAP Jam integration.

Authentication for external Learning-only users is currently native to Learning but will be migrating to the SAP CI Identity Authentication Service.

IAS is Required for Report Story

IAS is required when implementing SAP SuccessFactors Report Story in Report Centre. Report Story allows report authors to build dynamic reports and analytics dashboards based on suite-wide transactional data and share them with business users. Report Story is part of the SuccessFactors Platform license and is available to all customers. So, before you can implement Report Story, you need to enable IAS.

The Five-Step Process to Implement and Enable IAS

The process of migrating to IAS requires tasks to be performed in the SAP SuccessFactors Admin Center, the Identity Provisioning Service (IPS) Administration Console, and the Identity Authentication Service (IAS) Administration Console. These steps are as follows:

1. Initiate IAS upgrade in Upgrade Center (UC).

2. Set up corporate identity provider (IDP) in the IAS administration console.

3. Configure log-in options, user groups, and password policies in the IAS administration console.

4. Configure Identity Provisioning Service (IPS) settings and setup sync jobs within the IPS administration console.

5. Enable IAS in UC.

Timing Is Critical for SAP IAS

SAP has required that all customers move to IAS to provide a more robust and secure login experience. Ensure that users experience minimal disruption and avoid disruptions upon its expiration.