Seamless SSO Cloud Authentication For Watchguard with SAML

Our Challenge

In early 2024, Primary Technologies approached Cloudauth with a critical issue affecting our education clients:

• RADIUS authentication issues from Entra Joined Devices to WatchGuard firewall appliances.
• We had experienced unreliable user identification affecting firewall policy enforcement, web filtering, and audit logging.
• We had concerns around KCSIE (Keeping Children Safe in Education) compliance, particularly in ensuring that user activity could be accurately tracked and attributed.

The lack of seamless authentication created friction for end users and compromised the integrity of network security and compliance.

Our Solution In Partnership with Cloudauth.ms

We worked with Cloudauth initially developed and deployed a custom solution leveraging saved credentials to bridge the gap between Entra ID and WatchGuard’s RADIUS implementation. This was rolled out across multiple education sites.

Building on this success, we worked with CloudAuth and with Watchguard’s now supporting SAML SSO, they built a purpose-built authentication platform designed to:

• Enable seamless SAML SSO for Entra Joined Devices (cloud only enviornment).
• Ensure accurate user identification across firewall policies, filtering categories, and audit logs.
• Provide a frictionless login experience for end users, boosting confidence and usability.

Key Features of CloudAuth

• Seamless SAML SSO Integration with WatchGuard appliances.
• Credential and token caching for persistent authentication encrypted locally against the device.
• Real-time user mapping for accurate policy enforcement.
• Scalable deployment across multiple sites with centralised management.

Impact

• Improved user experience: Staff and students now enjoy seamless access without repeated logins.
• Enhanced security: Accurate user identification ensures that firewall rules and filtering are correctly applied.
• Operational efficiency: IT teams spend less time troubleshooting authentication issues.
• Scalability: CloudAuth is now positioned to support additional clients and environments beyond education.

Our Feedback To Cloudauth.ms

“CloudAuth has transformed how our schools manage authentication. It’s seamless, reliable, and gives us full confidence in our network policies.”
Lewis Purver – Director

Contact us if you wanted to talk to us about our experiences, or contact Cloudauth direct for a demo and a free trial.