Introduction to Identity Providers

What is an Identity Provider?

An Identity Provider (IdP) is a service or system that manages and authenticates user identities. It acts as a central authority for verifying who someone is and providing credentials (like a username and password, or other authentication factors) to prove their identity.

When a user tries to log into an application or service, the Identity Provider is responsible for verifying their credentials and granting access. IdPs often use protocols like SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language), OpenID Connect, or OAuth to securely communicate identity information to other systems (called Service Providers, or SPs).

In simpler terms, an Identity Provider is like a digital "gatekeeper" that confirms your identity before letting you into various online systems or services. Examples of IdPs include Google, Microsoft, Okta, and Auth0.

What is the Identity Federation?

Identity Federation is the process of linking and sharing identity information across different systems or organizations, allowing users to use their credentials from one identity provider (IdP) to access services or resources in another organization or system. It essentially allows different IdPs to trust each other and enable cross-domain authentication and authorization.

For example, if you have a Google account, you might be able to use it to sign in to a third-party website without creating a separate account there. This is a form of identity federation, where Google’s identity service is federated with the third-party service to allow seamless access.

Identity Federation via External IdPs

Identity Federation via External IdPs means allowing users to access multiple applications or services using their credentials from an external Identity Provider (IdP), essentially letting them log in with their existing accounts from services like Google, Microsoft Entra (Azure AD), or Okta, instead of creating new accounts for each application separately; this is achieved by establishing a trust relationship between the application (service provider) and the external IdP, enabling single sign-on (SSO) across different platforms.

How it works:

When a user tries to access an application that supports federation, they are redirected to their chosen external IdP to authenticate; once verified, the IdP sends a token back to the application, allowing the user access without needing to re-enter credentials.

Benefits

1. Improved user experience: Users can log in with familiar accounts, reducing the need to manage multiple passwords.

2. Centralized identity management: Administrators can manage user access through the external IdP, simplifying account management.

3. Enhanced security: Leverages the security features of the external IdP for authentication and authorization.

Example scenario

A company uses Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) as its primary IdP. Employees can access their company applications (like Salesforce, and Dropbox) using their Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) login credentials. When an employee tries to access an application, they are redirected to the Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) login page, authenticated, and then granted access.

Scalefusion and Identity Federation

Scalefusion provides Identity Federation by enabling seamless integration with multiple identity providers (IdPs) for secure access to your devices. Through federation, users can log in using their existing credentials from trusted IdPs like Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra (Azure Active Directory), Okta, or any other SAML 2.0 Identity Providers. This eliminates the need for separate login credentials, streamlining user access while maintaining robust security. Scalefusion supports popular identity protocols such as SAML 2.0 to facilitate secure and efficient cross-domain authentication. With Identity Federation, your organization can enhance user experience, simplify management, and ensure secure access control across devices and services.