---
schema_version: "1"
id: d89352e558ed455a173ef8ff39a6a2388b4af849e925e38f20211a38bc509d44
title: Considerations for Selecting an Authentication Provider
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/sales/264-0-0/mth_considerations_for_choosing_mytrailhead_identity.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_considerations_for_choosing_mytrailhead_identity.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 2a9307db626d3c82338cf5702d8007c6add8bc5230eb2306d185e380cc23328e
description: To help you determine which authentication provider is right for your company’s enablement site, review how each provider affects your learning and enablement strategy. We recommend that all new enablement sites choose Salesforce Identity for Enablement.
products:
  - Sales Cloud
  - Sales Enablement
release: "264"
---
# Considerations for Selecting an Authentication Provider

To help you determine which authentication provider is right for your company’s enablement site, review how each provider affects your learning and enablement strategy. We recommend that all new enablement sites choose Salesforce Identity for Enablement.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, and <strong>Unlimited</strong> Editions</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
      <colgroup>
        <col style="width:50%">
        <col style="width:50%">
      </colgroup>
      <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
        <tr class="">
          <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d5393e61">User Roles</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr class="">
          <td data-label="User Roles" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e61 ">This topic supports these enablement site roles:</td>

          <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e61 ">Salesforce Admins</td>

        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>

You can choose between these providers:

- Salesforce Identity for Enablement, which uses the Salesforce Identity access management service with your enablement site as an external client app or a connected app.
- Trailblazer.me (TBID), which uses a separate profile that provides access to multiple Salesforce products.

## Content Access

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d5393e111">Consideration</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d5393e114">Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d5393e117">TBID</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e111 ">Users can access content on your enablement site with one click.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e114 ">
              <p>Yes, if a user is already logged in to Salesforce.</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Otherwise, the user must first
                authenticate with their Salesforce credentials.</p>
            </td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e117 ">Yes, but requires <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_build_sso_link_to_mytrailhead_content.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="If your enablement site’s authentication provider is Trailblazer.me (TBID), by default your users must log in with their TBID credentials to access your site. You can give users one-click access to your site by creating links that incorporate single sign-on (SSO).">building single sign-on (SSO)
                links</a>.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e111 ">A user can access your enablement site and Trailhead with the same
              credentials.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e114 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e117 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e111 ">Learners can access a trailmix that includes content from both your enablement site
              and Trailhead.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e114 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e117 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e111 ">Learners can access content from both your enablement site and Trailhead in Learning
              Paths in Lightning Experience.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e114 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e117 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e111 ">Learners can access enablement site content from a mobile browser.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e114 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e117 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e111 ">Learners can access enablement site content on the Trailhead GO mobile app.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e114 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e117 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e111 ">Learners can access enablement site content in the Trailhead app for Slack.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e114 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e117 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

## User Registration and Profile

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d5393e242">Consideration</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d5393e245">Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d5393e248">TBID</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e242 ">New users get immediate access to your enablement site without creating a Trailhead
              profile.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e245 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e248 ">No, new users are prompted to <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_create_a_mytrailhead_user_profile.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="When a user logs in to your enablement site for the first time, the authentication provider that you configured determines whether the user must create a profile to access your site.">create a Trailhead profile
                first</a>.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e242 ">Learners earn points and badges by completing enablement site content, including
              content assigned in the Guidance Center panel in Lightning Experience.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e245 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e248 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e242 ">Learners can view the rank, points, and badges that they earned by completing
              enablement site content.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e245 ">Yes, learners can see the total count of their points and badges next to their user
              avatar. However, there’s no profile page that shows their rank or specific badges that they
              earned.</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e248 ">Yes, learners can access a profile page that shows the rank, points, and specific
              badges that they earned.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e242 ">Learners earn points and badges by completing Trailhead content, including content
              assigned in the Guidance Center panel in Lightning Experience.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e245 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e248 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e242 ">Learners can view the rank, points, and badges that they earned by completing
              Trailhead content.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e245 ">
              <p>Yes, but only if the user creates a personal Trailhead account and views their profile
                page from that account. This profile page reflects only the user’s Trailhead activity, not
                their enablement site activity.</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">On your enablement site, the total count of points and
                badges shown next to the user’s avatar reflects activity from only your enablement site.
                The count of points and badges doesn’t reflect the user’s Trailhead activity. No rank
                information is available.</p>
            </td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e248 ">Yes, the user’s profile page reflects activity from both your enablement site and
              Trailhead content.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e242 ">Your enablement site is accessible by internal users from your Salesforce org and by
              external users who are Experience Cloud site members.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e245 ">
              <p>Yes, if your internal users are also members of the Experience Cloud site. </p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">With
                Salesforce Identity for Enablement, we generally recommend that your enablement site serves
                either only internal Salesforce org users or only external Experience Cloud site
                members.</p>
            </td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e248 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

For more information about profiles for new users, see [Enablement Site User Profile](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_create_a_mytrailhead_user_profile.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "When a user logs in to your enablement site for the first time, the authentication provider that you configured determines whether the user must create a profile to access your site.").

## Admin Experience

  
| Consideration | Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended) | TBID |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Admins create an external client app or use a connected app in their Salesforce org for connecting users in Salesforce to your enablement site. | Yes | No |
| Admins can define session timeouts and enforce security measures, such as specifying allowed IP ranges. For example, if you wanted to require a VPN, you can restrict session activity to IP addresses within the VPN. | Yes | No |
| Admins give users access to Trailmaker features by creating and assigning permission sets. | Yes | Yes |
| Admins give learners access to content by creating content collections and creating and assigning permission sets. | Yes | Yes |

## Manager Experience

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
          <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d5393e456">Consideration</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d5393e459">Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d5393e462">TBID</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e456 ">Managers can assign a trailmix to any active enablement site user, and the user
              doesn’t require a Trailhead account.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e459 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e462 ">No</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e456 ">Managers can use the Trail Tracker app to report on a user’s enablement site
              activity.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e459 ">Yes</td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e462 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e456 ">Managers can use the Trail Tracker app to report on a user’s enablement site activity
              and their Trailhead activity, including points and badges earned from either
              platform.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e459 ">
              <p>Yes, if the user meets both of these criteria:</p>
              <ul>
                <li>Has created a Trailhead account using their enablement site credentials</li>
                <li>Has the Enablement Sites (myTrailhead) permission set license</li>
              </ul>
            </td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e462 ">Yes, if the user has the Enablement Sites (myTrailhead) permission set
              license.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Consideration" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e456 ">Managers can use the Trail Tracker app to assign a trailmix that contains content from
              both your enablement site and Trailhead.</td>

            <td data-label="Salesforce Identity for Enablement (Recommended)" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e459 ">
              <p>Yes, if the user meets both of these criteria:</p>
              <ul>
                <li>Has created a Trailhead account using their enablement site credentials</li>
                <li>Has the Enablement Sites (myTrailhead) permission set license</li>
              </ul>
            </td>

            <td data-label="TBID" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d5393e462 ">Yes, if the user has the Enablement Sites (myTrailhead) permission set
              license.</td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-sales-mytrailhead-264-0-0-production-enus/0d6bc03d-58c7-47e8-89c9-5e00c98b5485/images/icon_note.png)

Note With Salesforce Identity for Enablement, if a user chooses to create a Trailhead account with their enablement site credentials, they can later disconnect their enablement site credentials from that account. They can still use their enablement site credentials for accessing your site, and admins can report on their enablement site activities using Trail Tracker. But admins can no longer report on their Trailhead activities or assign trailmixes that contain a combination of enablement site and Trailhead content.

## Impact of Switching Authentication Providers

If you first selected TBID for your enablement site’s authentication provider, you can submit a Salesforce Customer Support case to request to switch to Salesforce Identity for Enablement instead. If you first selected Salesforce Identity for Enablement for your enablement site's authentication provider, you can’t request to switch it to TBID. To learn more about how this switch affects the user experience and how to submit a case, see [Request to Switch Your Authentication Provider](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_identity_change.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "If you selected Trailblazer.me (TBID) for your enablement site’s authentication provider, you can submit a Salesforce Customer Support case to request to switch to Salesforce Identity for Enablement. If you already selected Salesforce Identity for Enablement for your enablement site’s authentication provider, you can’t request to switch it to TBID.").

#### See Also

- [Configure Salesforce Identity for Enablement](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_configure_mytrailhead_identity.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "To set up Salesforce Identity for Enablement for your enablement site, first create a connected app in Salesforce. The connected app handles data sharing between your enablement site and Salesforce using OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0—protocols that authenticate users and authorize access to data in your org. Finally, enter your connected app details on your enablement site.")
- [Configure Trailblazer.me for Your Enablement Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_configure_trailblazer_me.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "To set up Trailblazer.me (TBID) for your enablement site, select the appropriate option after you create the subdomain.")
- [Request to Switch Your Authentication Provider](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_identity_change.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "If you selected Trailblazer.me (TBID) for your enablement site’s authentication provider, you can submit a Salesforce Customer Support case to request to switch to Salesforce Identity for Enablement. If you already selected Salesforce Identity for Enablement for your enablement site’s authentication provider, you can’t request to switch it to TBID.")
- [Connect Your Enablement Site to an Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_set_up_mytrailhead_in_your_community.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Give your Experience Cloud site members access to your enablement site content.")
- [Access Enablement Site Content on Mobile Devices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_trailhead_go.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Learners can access enablement site content from anywhere using the Trailhead GO app on their iOS, iPadOS®, or Android™ device. Learners can earn badges and points in the app.")
- [Find and Share Enablement Site Content in Slack](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_slack.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Learners can install the Trailhead Slack app and connect their enablement site account. From the app, learners can search, favorite, and share enablement site content, and view a summary of their in-progress learning.")
- [Considerations for Connecting Your Enablement Site to an Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_community_user_experience_on_mth.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Before you enable Experience Cloud site members for your enablement site, review the impacts of some key decisions on your implementation. Evaluate how connecting your enablement site to an Experience Cloud site and how your authentication provider affect the user experience for Experience Cloud site members.")
- [Enablement Site User Profile](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_create_a_mytrailhead_user_profile.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "When a user logs in to your enablement site for the first time, the authentication provider that you configured determines whether the user must create a profile to access your site.")
- [Enablement Site User Menu Items](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.mth_user_menu.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "The menu that appears when a user clicks their avatar contains items for navigating different parts of your enablement site.")
- [_Salesforce Knowledge:_ myTrailhead Badges do not Display in User Profile](https://sfdc.co/mytrailhead-badges-profile)