“One of our goals in the Adobe Credential Program is to provide candidates with a positive overall experience as they successfully progress along their learning journey and prove their proficiency with Adobe products in pursuit of becoming Adobe Certified Professionals” shared Indira Hentschel, Business Operations Manager, Credential Program, Adobe. “Our program offers approximately 100 exams, which are delivered through four delivery vendors, and serves a wide population of candidates made up of partners, employees, and customers.”
“Having four test delivery providers (TDPs) is an advantage to Adobe and our candidates. However, in combination with other platforms in our certification ecosystem such as our LMS, badging and credential management systems, it leads to a complex environment for the candidates to navigate with a lot of different login credentials for the candidates to manage,” said Hentschel.
“To help alleviate candidate frustration, the team realized it was critical to streamline and improve the candidate experience. We chose to implement the CM ConnectTM Single Sign-On (SSO) module, which is an add on to our existing candidate management system provided by Alpine Testing Solutions. The SSO technology solution is helping provide candidates with a more efficient (login) process.”
The CM Connect SSO Module allows users to log in with a single pair of credentials to several different but related systems. It leverages claims-based authentication to seamlessly pass candidates and users between websites and systems without requiring an additional login. SSO can be integrated with membership applications, learning management systems, and other internal or external websites to provide an optimal user experience.
Adobe candidates that have been authenticated appreciate the ability to SSO to Adobe’s badging partner, Credly, where they simply click on a button and are taken to the Credly site to view the badges they have earned.
Adobe, the global leader in digital media and digital marketing solutions, continues to change the world in positive ways through digital experiences. That positive cultural mindset is taken seriously in the Adobe Credential Program.
Optimizing with SSO & Security
Adobe is fully invested in security for the benefit of their candidates and their program as shown in an article featuring them in the Alpine Buzz in October 2020. With the implementation of SSO, the investment in security is accelerated when paired with required double authentication.
According to Hentschel, “We are always looking for opportunities to improve the security of our program. Ensuring proper authentication of a candidate is critical. With SSO, if a candidate needs to change their legal name, only an admin with appropriate permissions designated by our team can make that change. We value the ability in CM Connect to identify and evaluate our user base and carefully customize specific permissions as needed in order to protect and enhance the security of data for our program.”
Optimizing with SSO & Enablement
CM Connect SSO solves enablement issues by identifying who is logging in and presenting specific information that is meant for them to see. In the case of Adobe employees and partners, they are given discounts and other specific bonuses, respectively. When the user logs in, the SSO system automatically recognizes them and allows those bonuses to flow back into the Adobe website so they can take advantage of the perks they have earned.
“Enablement recognition through SSO is also making things more efficient from the voucher standpoint. We no longer need to issue vouchers for employees. Instead, the discounts that are provided serve as a replacement for vouchers that previously had to be issued,” said Hentschel.
“Partners seeking information on employees are recognized at a high level. We can share information if the employee has signed an agreement granting permission,” shared Hentschel. “Partners may also be recognized in SSO as being eligible to receive various perks (completely separate from credentialing) based on levels of engagement they fulfill.”
Optimizing with SSO Economically
“Without SSO, it would be extremely challenging to deliver our exams through multiple TDPs. It’s refreshing to have confidence in our SSO system where we rarely have to deal with duplicate records. This saves precious time, resources and money, allowing us to spend more time focusing on building our program in productive ways rather than having to deal with merge issues,” explained Hentschel.
“In addition,” Hentschel continued, “we have found that SSO has also helped us reduce the number of Help Desk tickets related to login issues, which is a win for both the candidate and Adobe. This benefits our Help Desk and overall team, which again, saves, time, resources, and money.”
Adobe is making the most of the SSO technology as they continue to find sound and creative ways to optimally meet candidate needs and streamline operational processes that continue to bring positivity and productivity to the forefront.
“We are always looking at the bigger picture”, Hentschel shared. “Are the efforts we are exerting today going to be able to proliferate? Are we going to be able to grow with the company and as we’re growing, are we ensuring that customer is still having a positive experience on their learning journey? Stiving to accomplish that goal is motivating and is what gets me excited to come to work each day!”