NAU Bridges the Gap Between Campus and Cloud for 50,000+ Students

Challenge

NAU’s transition to the cloud was hindered by identity silos. Each new application required a separate username and password, frustrating students and creating security vulnerabilities. The IT team was bogged down by the time-consuming process of manually provisioning users and managing complex integrations, which delayed the rollout of new academic and administrative tools.

Solution

NAU implemented PingOne for Enterprise and PingID to provide a single, secure point of access for students and faculty. This cloud-based identity solution allowed the university to quickly connect to a wide range of SaaS applications, including Salesforce, Gmail, and PeopleSoft, while adding a critical layer of security with Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) to protect sensitive student data.

Results

The deployment of Ping Identity transformed the digital front door of the university. Students now enjoy a frictionless experience, moving between academic resources and personal tools with a single click. The IT department has significantly reduced the time required to onboard new applications, moving from weeks of custom coding to a streamlined cloud identity model. This scalable foundation ensures that NAU can continue to adopt the latest educational technologies without increasing the administrative burden or compromising security.