Organizations that use Single Sign-On (SSO) often need to deliver training to people who are not employees, such as contractors, partners, or external collaborators. Because these Learners do not have credentials in the organization's identity provider, they cannot sign in through the standard SSO link included in automated Absorb LMS emails, provided your organization has their main route tied to SSO. This article explains why that happens, confirms that Absorb LMS supports this use case, and outlines what to request so external Learners can access their training.

Why External Learners Cannot Sign In With SSO

SSO authenticates Users against your organization's identity provider. When an external Learner clicks the standard login link in an Absorb LMS email, the LMS hands authentication to that identity provider. Because contractors, partners, and other non-employees do not exist as accounts in the identity provider, authentication fails and they cannot reach their training. This is expected behavior when a client has their main route tied to SSO: the standard login link is designed for Users who already have SSO credentials.

For background on how SSO authentication works in the platform, see Absorb LMS & Single-Sign On (SSO).

Supported Use Case

Absorb LMS supports training external Learners alongside your SSO Users. The solution relies on a separate Portal Route that does not require SSO, so external Learners sign in with an Absorb Username and password instead of your identity provider. Your SSO Users continue to log in exactly as they do today.

This configuration requires backend setup that clients cannot complete on their own. An Absorb team member performs the work on your behalf based on your request. The sections below explain what is involved and exactly what to ask for.

What Gets Configured

Supporting external Learners involves two related pieces. You do not configure these yourself, but understanding them helps you make a clear request:

• A separate Portal Route that is not assigned to your SSO configuration, allowing external Learners to sign in with an Absorb username and password.
• A designated Department for external Learners, such as a non-employee Department, associated with that Portal Route.

In addition to the above actions taken by an Absorb representative, a branded, Department-specific login experience configured through the Department Template should be created, so external Learners see the correct login page when they arrive at the Portal Route.

This approach uses standard platform capabilities. For related background, see Route Level Single Sign-On, Department Templates, and Department Templates: Login Tab.

What To Request

Because this setup requires backend configuration, reach out to your Absorb Client Success Representative or Absorb Support to have it enabled. Providing the details below in your initial request helps avoid follow-up questions and speeds up resolution.

Include the following in your request:

• That you want to enable LMS access for external Learners who do not have SSO credentials.
• A request for a new, non-SSO Portal Route dedicated to these Learners.
• The Department you want associated with that Portal Route.

After Setup Is Complete

Once your Client Success Manager or Absorb Support confirms the configuration, external Learners sign in through the dedicated Portal Route rather than the primary SSO route. When you enroll these Learners and automated emails are sent out, links will then be associated with the non-SSO Portal Route, allowing for manual login that circumvents SSO.