Single authentication possible? - htaccess and ZC

Hi: I'm setting up a ZC install for a company who needs to take orders from 40 outside sales reps. (No ecommerce at all; it's just acting as a slick order form, a replacement for faxes.)

First the sales rep clicks into a private directory in the company website.
(For now, authentication is handled with apache htaccess/htpasswd, set up via cpanel.)

Then the sales rep logs into their ZenCart account and begins shopping.

I'd like to have a single sign-on, avoiding two un/pw prompts. Is this possible?

Thanks
Andrew

Bunch of Details:

• The secure directory contains a blog with product information.
• If a single auth scheme isn't possible, my fallback position is to integrate blog content into the cart, thus using ZC's auth to protect all content.
• I recognize that many of the reps will have un/pw saved in their browser. But even that is perceived as too onerous.
• We'd like to be able to update one user table, not one for the secure directory and one for the cart accounts.
• We cannot allow one sales rep to see another rep's orders.

For now, authentication is handled with apache taccess/htpasswd
This is not handled by or through a mysql DB and Zen Cart is..

You can Google for other access schema that use a DB and these should be easier to integrate. Alternatively, Zen Cart can be a showcase on the web where only a loggin will allow prices to be seen.

Thanks K for your reply.

After thinking it over, I am going to avoid the trouble of synching auth schemes.

I will require login to see the cart, disable creation of new accounts, and integrate blog content into the cart with a load of includes. The last part will be kind of hairy but I think it will turn out OK.