Yes, Zoho CRM supports single sign-on through Active Directory, letting your users log in with their existing corporate credentials rather than a separate Zoho password. How this is set up has evolved, with Zoho now centralising identity management through Zoho Directory for many of its applications.
The Current Recommended Approach: Zoho Directory
Zoho Directory is Zoho's centralised identity and access management service, letting administrators manage users, groups, permissions, and SSO configuration for Zoho apps and third-party apps from one place, rather than configuring each Zoho product separately.
- Enable Zoho Directory. An account or organisation administrator configures Zoho Directory for your organisation.
- Set up Active Directory Sync. This syncs your existing Active Directory users and groups into Zoho Directory, so you're not manually recreating your user base.
- Enable Single Sign-On. With SAML enabled through Zoho Directory, users from your configured domain are authenticated through your identity provider when they log in, rather than using a Zoho-specific password.
The Underlying Mechanism: SAML SSO
Whether configured through Zoho Directory or the older direct method, the technology underneath is SAML 2.0. Zoho CRM acts as the Service Provider, and your Active Directory, typically via an intermediary identity provider product such as AD FS, OneLogin, or miniOrange, acts as the Identity Provider. Setup generally involves exchanging a small set of details between the two systems:
- The Sign-in URL and Sign-out URL from your identity provider
- An X.509 certificate downloaded from your identity provider and uploaded into Zoho's SAML configuration
- Zoho's own metadata details, provided to your identity provider in return
Note: Registering with Zoho One is typically required to unlock full SAML Authentication configuration options in Zoho Accounts. If you're not on Zoho One, check current requirements for your specific plan before assuming the same setup path applies.
Who Can Configure This
Only users with administrator or super admin privileges can enable Active Directory integration and SSO configuration for your organisation.
Need help? 1 Cloud Consultants can help you set up Active Directory integration and SAML SSO for Zoho CRM through Zoho Directory.
Book a discovery call with 1 Cloud Consultants.
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