Which term describes a process that enables cross-organization authentication by connecting identity management services?

Which term describes a process that enables cross-organization authentication by connecting identity management services?

• A. Single Sign-On
• B. Federation
• C. Identity Bridging
• D. Cross-domain Authentication

Answer: (B)

Cross-organization authentication across separate identity systems is described by federation. Federation creates a trust relationship between identity providers in different organizations, allowing a user to prove who they are in their home organization and be granted access to resources in another organization. This is usually done through standard protocols like SAML, OpenID Connect, or OAuth, where the home IdP issues a token or assertion that the service in the partner organization can rely on. In practice, federation enables cross-domain single sign-on: after authenticating with their own organization, the user can access services in another domain without re-entering credentials, with the partner service trusting the home IdP to vouch for the user’s identity and attributes. Single Sign-On is a capability that can be achieved within or across domains, but by itself it doesn’t specify the cross-organization trust framework that federation provides. Identity bridging describes linking identities across directories, which is related but not the formal process of establishing inter-organizational trust for authentication. Cross-domain authentication is a broader, less precise term than federation, which is the established concept for connecting identity management services across organizations.

Cross-organization authentication across separate identity systems is described by federation. Federation creates a trust relationship between identity providers in different organizations, allowing a user to prove who they are in their home organization and be granted access to resources in another organization. This is usually done through standard protocols like SAML, OpenID Connect, or OAuth, where the home IdP issues a token or assertion that the service in the partner organization can rely on. In practice, federation enables cross-domain single sign-on: after authenticating with their own organization, the user can access services in another domain without re-entering credentials, with the partner service trusting the home IdP to vouch for the user’s identity and attributes.

Single Sign-On is a capability that can be achieved within or across domains, but by itself it doesn’t specify the cross-organization trust framework that federation provides. Identity bridging describes linking identities across directories, which is related but not the formal process of establishing inter-organizational trust for authentication. Cross-domain authentication is a broader, less precise term than federation, which is the established concept for connecting identity management services across organizations.