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VitalSource® CAMPUS STORE AND CAMPUS ADMIN GUIDE SAML Certificate Refresh Guide October 2026 |
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What you need to know… VitalSource is replacing the SAML certificate that powers single sign-on (SSO) for VitalSource Launch. The current certificate expires on Friday, October 30, 2026.
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Key dates
| Date | What happens |
| Now | Heads-up sent. Ask your IT team which setup you have (see below). |
| Week of October 19, 2026 | The new certificate is available. For a short window, our metadata lists both the old and new certificates, so you can switch with no interruption. |
| Monday, October 26, 2026 | We remove the old certificate. Anyone still using it can no longer sign in through SSO. |
| Friday, October 30, 2026 | The old certificate expires. |
We will email you when the new certificate is available, with step-by-step instructions. A final reminder comes before the old certificate is removed.
Step 1: Find out which setup you have
This is a question for your IT, identity, or LMS team. Campus store staff do not need to make any changes themselves.
| Setup | What you need to do |
| Dynamic retrieval. Your system reads our metadata automatically. | Nothing. Your system picks up the new certificate on its own. |
| Stored locally. The certificate was uploaded or cached manually. | Update it to the new certificate before October 26 (steps below). |
| Not sure. | Ask IT to confirm. Or write to us at success@vitalsource.com and we will help you find out. |
Step 2: If your certificate is stored locally
Hand these steps to your IT or identity administrator.
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Download the new certificate from our metadata page:
https://bc.vitalsource.com/federation/saml_auth/authentications/metadata - Replace the old certificate in your system with the new one. Remove the old one.
- Test by signing in to VitalSource through SSO. Confirm access works without errors.
- Tell us. Email success@vitalsource.com once you have updated and tested. If anything fails, send the same address the error and we will help.
Who does what
| Role | What to do |
| Campus store manager or course materials staff | Forward this guide to your IT contact today. Watch for our follow-up emails. Be ready to answer student and instructor questions if sign-in fails. |
| IT / Systems Admin | Confirm whether you retrieve or store our certificate. If stored, replace it and test before October 26. |
| LMS Admin | If your LMS handles SSO or the VitalSource LTI connection, confirm with IT whether it holds a stored copy of our certificate. |
| Academic leadership | No action. Know that a missed update would block sign-in for students and instructors. |
What happens if no one updates it
If you store the certificate locally and do not update it, SSO stops working once we remove the old certificate. Students and instructors will not be able to sign in to VitalSource through your campus login until the new certificate is installed. Nothing is lost. Access returns as soon as the update is made.
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Make the next one easier We recommend setting up your system to retrieve our certificate dynamically instead of storing a copy. Future certificate updates then arrive automatically and this process does not repeat. Your IT team can tell you if that is possible in your environment, and we are glad to talk it through. |
Common questions
Do I need to do this if my students sign in with a VitalSource account rather than campus SSO?
This update applies to institutional SSO. If your users do not sign in through campus credentials, ask IT to confirm whether SSO is configured for VitalSource.
Can we update before the week of October 19?
No. The new certificate is not available until then. Updating during the overlap window is the safest option, since both certificates work.
Who do I contact?
success@vitalsource.com. Include your institution name and what you are seeing.
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Forward this to your IT team Subject: Action needed before Oct 26: VitalSource SAML certificate update VitalSource is replacing its SAML signing certificate for Launch SSO. If we store the certificate locally, we must replace it with the new one before October 26, 2026, or SSO will stop working for students and instructors. If we retrieve it dynamically from metadata, no action is needed. Metadata and new certificate: https://bc.vitalsource.com/federation/saml_auth/authentications/metadata. Please confirm which setup we use and, once done, email success@vitalsource.com. |