When speaking with clients about implementing Single Sign-on (SSO)—both the licensed Cityworks extension and the similar IT function of SSO—there is often confusion. In an IT setting, SSO is a session and user authentication service that permits the customer to use one set of login credentials (e.g., name and password) to access multiple applications. The service authenticates the end user for all the applications to which they have been given rights and eliminates further prompts when the user switches applications during the same session.
Cityworks SSO uses this concept and piggybacks upon the Esri authentication mechanisms in either Portal for ArcGIS or ArcGIS Online (AGOL) to provide authentication and then passes users through to the Cityworks application. The tool also provides additional functionality beyond a traditional SSO.
Major Benefits
So, what does this shiny tool get me? The major benefit—and the one most commonly requested—is allowing users to log into Cityworks using their AGOL or Portal for ArcGIS credentials.
Depending on how AGOL or Portal is set up within the user’s organization, in many cases this is set to use network credentials. For users, this means fewer accounts and passwords to remember; and for administrators, this gives a single place to administer accounts and reset forgotten passwords. Note that Cityworks groups are not fed from Portal or AGOL groups, so if a group changes in Active Directory, it does not automatically update the Cityworks groups and permissions. In this case, the user or group change in Cityworks needs to be updated to keep users in sync.
A second benefit of SSO is that administrators do not need to configure an Esri resource proxy for secured GIS services to be consumed by the Cityworks map. This is particularly important if your ArcGIS Server and Portal are federated, together so as not to violate the Esri named user license agreement.
Cityworks SSO also provides two additional map tools: Web Map Manager and Roads and Highways. The Roads and Highways tool allows you to track work on roadways, such as pavement conditions, signs, signals and other roadway-related assets. Cityworks Web Map Manager enables administrators to enrich the user experience by allowing users to leverage Portal or AGOL web maps within Cityworks. The Web Map Manager provides a way to add Cityworks saved searches to ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS, including adding saved searches to web maps. In addition, an organization’s saved enterprise URLs (eURLs) can be dynamically added into a web map as a layer and ordered by the user interactively. See the Web Map Manager 1.2 Guide on mycityworks.force.com for more information.
When using the Cityworks mobile app, which can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple App store, Cityworks SSO allows users to log in to the mobile native app for Android and iOS using their ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS credentials. This enables the use of secured GIS services from ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS. Integrations with Esri apps like ArcGIS Workforce are also possible. See the Cityworks and ArcGIS Integrations white paper on mycityworks.force.com for more information.
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How Do I Get Cityworks SSO?
Cityworks SSO is a licensed extension, so talk with your Cityworks customer service representative to determine if your organization is licensed for Cityworks SSO. You will also need named user licenses in your Portal or AGOL account. In some cases, you may need to evaluate your current ArcGIS Enterprise environment or AGOL environment to review security settings, version compatibility, and functional and business needs—especially when Cityworks isn’t the only dependent system using the ArcGIS infrastructure.
By Woolpert Geospatial Specialist Cheryl Spencer, GISP, and Woolpert Project Manager Christina Martinez, GISP
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