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Interlynk supports SAML 2.0-based single sign-on (SSO) for centralized identity management. This allows users to authenticate through your organization's identity provider (IdP) instead of managing separate credentials.


Supported Identity Providers

Interlynk's SAML implementation is built on the OneLogin SAML toolkit and is compatible with any SAML 2.0 identity provider. The primary documented setup is for Azure Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory).


SAML Setup with Azure Entra ID

Prerequisites

  • An Azure Entra ID tenant with administrative access.

  • An Interlynk organization with Admin permissions.

  • The ability to create Enterprise Applications in Azure Entra ID.

Step 1: Create an Enterprise Application in Azure

  1. Navigate to Enterprise Applications > New Application > Create your own application.

  2. Name the application (e.g., "Interlynk SSO").

  3. Select Integrate any other application you don't find in the gallery (Non-gallery).

  4. Click Create.

Step 2: Configure SAML in Azure

  1. In the application, navigate to Single sign-on > SAML.

  2. Configure the Basic SAML Configuration:

Field
Value

Identifier (Entity ID)

Enter the value from the Interlynk SSO configuration modal

Reply URL (ACS URL)

Auto-generated in Interlynk: https://api.interlynk.io/auth/saml/callback?tenant=YOUR_TENANT

Sign on URL

(Optional) Your Interlynk dashboard URL

  1. Configure Attributes & Claims (see attribute mapping table below).

  2. Download the App Federation Metadata URL from the SAML Signing Certificate section.

Step 3: Configure SAML in Interlynk

  1. Navigate to Settings > Organization > Integrations.

  2. Click SSO.

  3. Fill in the following fields:

Field
Description

Tenant

A unique identifier for your organization's SAML tenant (e.g., your domain name)

Identifier / Entity ID

The entity ID configured in Azure (must match exactly)

Reply URL / ACS URL

Auto-generated: https://api.interlynk.io/auth/saml/callback?tenant=YOUR_TENANT (read-only)

App Federation Metadata URL

The metadata URL from Azure Entra ID

Default User Role

The role assigned to users who authenticate via SSO for the first time

  1. Click Save.

Step 4: Test SSO

  1. After configuration, attempt to sign in using SSO.

  2. You will be redirected to your Azure Entra ID login page.

  3. After successful authentication, you will be redirected back to Interlynk.

  4. Verify that the user's name, email, and role are populated correctly.


SAML Attribute Mapping

Interlynk requires the following attributes in the SAML assertion:

SAML Attribute
Interlynk Field
Required
Description

http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/name

Name

Yes

User's full display name

http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/emailaddress

Email

Yes

User's email address (used as the unique identifier)

http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/givenname

First Name

Recommended

User's first name

http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/surname

Last Name

Recommended

User's last name

Azure Entra ID Default Claims

Azure Entra ID provides these attributes by default. Verify they are included in the Attributes & Claims section of your Enterprise Application:

Claim Name
Source Attribute

name

user.displayname

emailaddress

user.mail or user.userprincipalname

givenname

user.givenname

surname

user.surname


Auto-Registration

When a user authenticates via SSO for the first time and does not have an existing Interlynk account:

  1. An Interlynk account is automatically created using the email and name from the SAML assertion.

  2. The user is automatically associated with the organization linked to the SAML tenant.

  3. The user is assigned the Default User Role configured in the SSO settings.

  4. No separate invitation is required.

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Auto-registration is enabled by default when SSO is configured.


Enforcing SSO

To enforce SSO as the only authentication method:

  1. Configure and test SSO as described above.

  2. Verify that all team members can successfully authenticate via SSO.

  3. Contact Interlynk support to disable password-based login for your organization.

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Recovery Plan if Misconfigured

If SSO is misconfigured and users cannot sign in:

  1. If password login is still enabled: Sign in with email and password, then correct the SAML configuration.

  2. If SSO is enforced: Contact Interlynk support to temporarily disable SSO enforcement so you can reconfigure.

  3. Common fixes:

    • Verify the Tenant value matches exactly between Azure and Interlynk.

    • Verify the Entity ID matches exactly.

    • Ensure the ACS URL is correctly configured in Azure.

    • Re-download and re-enter the App Federation Metadata URL if the certificate was rotated.


Security Best Practices

  • Use a strong default role: Set the default SSO user role to Viewer to follow least-privilege principles. Promote users to higher roles after onboarding.

  • Require MFA in your IdP: Interlynk defers authentication to your identity provider — enable MFA in Azure Entra ID for an additional security layer.

  • Audit SSO users: Periodically review the user list to ensure only authorized personnel have access.

  • Certificate rotation: When rotating SAML signing certificates in Azure, update the metadata URL or re-import the metadata in Interlynk.

  • Separate admin access: Maintain at least one admin user with password-based login as a break-glass account in case SSO fails.


Common Misconfigurations

Issue
Symptom
Fix

Tenant mismatch

SSO redirects but authentication fails

Ensure the tenant value in Interlynk matches the Azure configuration

Entity ID mismatch

SAML assertion rejected

Verify the Identifier/Entity ID is identical in both Azure and Interlynk

ACS URL wrong

Azure returns an error after authentication

The ACS URL is auto-generated — verify the tenant is correct

Missing email claim

User created without email

Ensure emailaddress claim is mapped in Azure Attributes & Claims

Certificate expired

SAML assertion signature validation fails

Rotate the certificate in Azure and update the metadata URL in Interlynk

Default role set to Admin

All new SSO users get admin access

Change the default SSO user role to Viewer

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