What is Federated Identity?
Federated SSO Defined
Federated Identity is the process of linking a user’s electronic accounts together across multiple distinct systems. This linking allows for the user to be automatically identified throughout the different systems and is one of the fundamental requirements for implementing single sign-on to allow the user to authenticate once and seamlessly access the multiple systems without being required to repeatedly login.
Web Access Management systems are known for providing Single Sign-On (SSO), but this cannot be done if the logged in user cannot be uniquely identified in the target system during the login process. SSO uses protocols such as SAML, OIDC and OAuth to assert authentication, but the asserted identity must be uniquely found within the target system, which is where this linking process is key. Without the linking to identify the user across multiple systems, SSO systems will not be possible.
Why is Identity Federation Important?
- Enhanced User Experience: SSO is the ultimate user experience, eliminating the need to maintain multiple sets of credentials for each application and input them each time they need to access a different application. This is all made possible by the fundamental process of linking the accounts together that is leveraged to provide businesses with the benefits of SSO.
- Improved Security: By centralizing authentication, more robust authentication factors may be used for increased security without providing significant friction and burdensome helpdesk calls for resets across multiple applications.
- Efficiency: The linking of accounts also helps identify which accounts are owned by an individual for purposes of User Access Reviews and Termination processes, removing the need to search through systems to find a user’s accounts manually.
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GCA Technology Services provides you with a consultancy team that specializes in helping clients identify and solve gaps in your organization’s Federated Identity and SSO systems and its end-user experience improvement capabilities. By collaborating with our esteemed expert consultants, you are saying yes to a partnership that will allow your team to craft policies and controls that are guaranteed to suit your business identity, meet your regulatory requirements, strategize a successful SSO solution, and implement it to maximum effect.
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