Quick tip: Using InPrivate browsing to sign in with more than one Windows Live ID simultaneously

Do you find yourself using Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2011 and having to switch between multiple Windows Live IDs to test different security roles? Do you ever need to sign in to multiple CRM Online organizations at the same time using different Windows Live IDs? If so, we have a quick tip that will save you a lot of time!

Here’s a little background: Windows Live ID is a single-sign-on (SSO) service, which means that once you sign in to any of the services or web applications (such as Hotmail) that recognize your ID, you can access any of the other services that recognize your ID without needing to sign in again, until you sign out or get signed out. CRM Online 2011 uses Windows Live ID authentication. Therefore, when you are signed into a CRM Online 2011 organization, opening a new browser window and navigating to the same CRM Online 2011 organization or to another CRM Online 2011 organization where that same Windows Live ID is recognized will leverage your already authorized and cached credentials. It loads your Windows Live ID automatically and you are not required to sign in again. You can visit two CRM Online organizations at the same time using the same Windows Live ID.

Now, to paraphrase Shakespeare, here’s the rub: What if you wanted to open a window that wasn’t automatically signed in, and was treated separately, as if you were a different person on the same computer? You can do that by using Internet Explorer’s InPrivate Browsing mode. Just follow the steps below.

From your current Internet Explorer window, open the Tools menu, and click InPrivate Browsing.

A new Internet Explorer browser window will open using InPrivate Browsing mode.

The new InPrivate Browsing window that opens will use its own independent cache. This allows you to sign in as a different user in this isolated window (and any windows you open from this window). By signing in to the same CRM Online 2011 organization with two IDs that have different security roles in CRM Online 2011, you can proceed immediately to test any recent security role changes you have made, removing the necessity to constantly be signing out of one account and into another to test changes.

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