Hobart And William Smith Colleges
How a leading liberal arts institution achieved near-100% MFA adoption campus-wide with zero additional operating costs—becoming a pioneer in higher education identity security.
About Hobart And William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges are distinguished liberal arts institutions located on the shore of Seneca Lake in Geneva, New York. The colleges emphasize faculty-led mentorship, undergraduate research, and the intellectual, professional, and ethical development of their students.
The Challenge
In 2017, HWS faced pressure as higher education applications migrated to cloud environments requiring authentication methods beyond their existing LDAP infrastructure. They needed a federated solution offering flexibility, configurability, and scalability.
- Cloud application migration requiring authentication beyond existing LDAP infrastructure
- Need for federated identity supporting RADIUS, SAML, OpenID, and other standards
- Multi-factor authentication required for faculty, staff, and digitally-native students
- Self-service password management to reduce IT help desk burden
- Budget constraints requiring a cost-effective, all-in-one solution rather than multiple vendors
The Solution
SecureAuth integrated platform with federation, self-service password management, and MFA
All-in-One Platform
Federation, self-service password management, and multi-factor authentication combined in a single product—eliminating the need for multiple vendors.
Multi-Protocol Federation
Support for RADIUS, SAML, OpenID, and security questions, enabling seamless integration with diverse campus applications and cloud services.
Adaptive MFA
Flexible multi-factor authentication methods that meet the expectations of digitally-native students while providing strong security for institutional resources.
Custom PeopleSoft Authenticator
SecureAuth built a custom PeopleSoft Authenticator for HWS, eliminating the need for an additional vendor and reducing overall implementation costs.
The Results
Measurable outcomes that transformed campus identity security and operational efficiency at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Achieved near-universal multi-factor authentication adoption across students and faculty—one of the first higher education institutions to deploy MFA campus-wide.
Two years post-implementation with no additional operating costs, demonstrating exceptional cost efficiency and platform reliability.
Became one of the first higher education institutions to deploy multi-factor authentication across the entire campus community.
Significantly improved institutional security through adaptive authentication capabilities protecting students, faculty, and research data.
"What we liked best about SecureAuth’s solution was that we could get federation, self-service password management, and multi-factor authentication in one product."
"For the past two years, almost 100% of our user population is using MFA without adding extra operating costs."
Key Takeaways
All-in-One Identity Platform
A single product providing federation, self-service password management, and MFA eliminated multi-vendor complexity and reduced costs.
Near-Universal MFA Adoption
Achieved approximately 100% MFA adoption across the entire campus community, setting a benchmark for higher education security.
Zero Additional Operating Costs
Two years post-deployment with no extra operating costs, demonstrating the long-term cost efficiency of a consolidated identity platform.
Custom Integration Capability
SecureAuth’s willingness to build a custom PeopleSoft Authenticator eliminated the need for an additional vendor and reduced implementation costs.
Ready To Secure Your Campus?
See how SecureAuth can help your institution achieve campus-wide identity security with cost-effective MFA deployment.