Enterprise security tools have enterprise pricing. And it's not close.
SAN of Florida needed SSO and MFA for 1,040 users across Smartsheet and InsuredMine. Okta quoted $75,000/year.
I built the same thing for $1,500/year.
Here's how.
Why SSO Matters
Single Sign-On means one login for all your tools. Employees authenticate once and access everything they need.
Security benefits:
- Fewer passwords = fewer weak passwords
- Centralized access control
- Instant deprovisioning when someone leaves
- MFA enforced everywhere
Productivity benefits:
- No more "forgot password" tickets
- Faster onboarding
- Less friction for daily work
Why Enterprise SSO Is So Expensive
Okta, OneLogin, Azure AD - they charge per user per month. At enterprise scale, that's fine. At growing-company scale, it's prohibitive.
For SAN of Florida:
- 1,040 users
- ~$6/user/month (Okta pricing)
- = $6,240/month = $75,000/year
That's the annual salary of a full-time employee. For SSO.
The Alternative: FusionAuth
FusionAuth is an open-source identity platform. Self-hosted, you pay for infrastructure instead of per-user licensing.
For SAN of Florida:
- FusionAuth Community Edition: Free
- Hosting: ~$100-150/month
- Annual cost: ~$1,500
- Savings: $73,500/year
What We Built
SAML integration with Smartsheet: Employees log in through FusionAuth, get seamless access to Smartsheet.
SAML integration with InsuredMine: Same login works across both platforms.
Multi-factor authentication: TOTP (authenticator apps) enforced for all users.
User directory sync: Automatic provisioning from their existing user database.
Admin dashboard: IT team can manage users, reset MFA, audit access.
The Trade-offs
You're responsible for hosting. FusionAuth runs on your infrastructure. You need someone who can manage a server.
Setup takes longer. Okta is plug-and-play. FusionAuth requires configuration.
Support is community-based (for free tier). Enterprise support costs extra.
For SAN of Florida, these trade-offs were worth $73,500/year in savings.
When This Makes Sense
- You have 100+ users (savings compound with scale)
- You have someone technical to manage infrastructure
- Your apps support SAML or OIDC
- Budget is a real constraint
When to Just Pay for Okta
- Small team (under 50 users)
- No technical resources for self-hosting
- Need enterprise support SLAs
- Budget isn't the main concern
Getting Started
If you need SSO but can't justify enterprise pricing, there's probably a middle path.
I build security infrastructure for growing companies. Book a call and we'll figure out what makes sense for your situation.