Concurrent Access: Securing Your Revenue

It’s becoming common for websites and online services to allow two or more users to log in simultaneously using the same user ID and password combination. Some platforms allow it (for example, Netflix supports concurrent logins with the same credentials from different devices) while other apps restrict it.

Whether you want to allow or ban concurrent logins ultimately depends on two things :

1. Your service’s threat model. Typically, with higher-risk applications (e.g. online banking or anything else transactional), disallowing concurrent logins is likely to be warranted.

2. Whether or not your business model allows users to share their login information with others and accessing your service simultaneously.

What is Concurrent Access?

Concurrent access allows multiple users to log in with the same account credentials. This is generally seen positively by the users as typically they don’t like having to re-authenticate. However, there can be certain drawbacks to companies if not implemented correctly.

For example, members can share their usernames and passwords with friends or colleagues rather than purchasing new subscriptions from you. As such, your company should limit the number of user sessions to ensure that two users can’t simultaneously log onto the same account.

Our Approach to Limiting Concurrent Access:

Pelcro utilizes Single sign-on (SSO) authentication, which permits a user to use one set of login credentials (e.g., a name and password) to access multiple applications. By doing that, we give our clients the flexibility to decide as to whether or not they want to enable single user authentication on the platform.

Single user authentication is a solution to counter concurrent logins, which prevents users from staying logged into the same account from multiple locations. You will be able to enable or disable single-user authentication on Pelcro by:

1. Login to your Pelcro account

2. Click on the administrator link on the top right

3. Click on settings

4. Click on “Settings” under “Site settings

What is Pelcro?

Pelcro is a subscription and membership management software that provides all of the tools and insight necessary to drive subscriptions, memberships, donations, and much more. In other words, Pelcro is a one-stop-shop to help your company manage its eCommerce platform and drive its recurring revenue.

Food for thought:

Concurrent logins can lead to an illegitimate person accessing the account with valid credentials simultaneously with a legitimate, authenticated user. This can potentially lead to various security issues like misuse of the user’s personal information or resources to perform unauthorized actions, which means that the primary account holder can be wrongly held accountable for another user’s harmful actions.

Effective authorization and permission settings are cornerstones for the success of any digital-based company. The security on your platform is one of your business’s most essential features, one that can make or break a business.

Are you wondering if Pelcro is the right company to manage your website’s authentication and verification systems? Get started with one of our free trials, or schedule a demo with one of our experts to find out.