WS-Federation

Hideez Identity Cloud - WS-Federation integration

What is WS-Federation:

WS-Federation is a web-based Single Sign-On (SSO) protocol designed by Microsoft to enable identity federation across different domains and applications.

Key Points:

• Purpose: Allows users to authenticate to multiple systems or applications using a single set of credentials.

• Claims-Based Authentication: Relies on claims to pass user identity and attributes between an Identity Provider (IDP) (e.g., AD FS) and a Relying Party (RP) (e.g., an application).

• Microsoft-Centric: Primarily used with Microsoft services like AD FS, Exchange OWA, and SharePoint.

• Simplified SSO: Enables seamless access to applications without repeated logins.

• Message Format: Uses XML-based messages to transfer authentication tokens securely.

• Compared to SAML: While SAML is widely used across platforms, WS-Federation is more commonly found in Microsoft ecosystems.

Example Flow:

• A user accesses Outlook on the Web (OWA) (Service Provider).

• Outlook on the Web (OWA) redirects the authentication request to Hideez Identity Cloud (IDP).

• Hideez Identity Cloud uses WS-Federation to authenticate the user and send a security token back to OWA.

• The user gains access to OWA without entering credentials again.

Configure login to Exchange OWA directly via Hideez Identity Cloud as the Identity Provider using the SAML 2.0 protocol (2-tier architecture: Exchange OWA → SAML 2.0 → Hideez Identity Cloud).

Advantages:

1. No AD FS required: Eliminates the need for setting up and maintaining AD FS, simplifying the architecture, and reducing maintenance costs.

2. Simpler configuration: Without the additional AD FS component, the setup process is quicker and easier.

3. Faster access to resources: Direct integration with Hideez Identity Cloud reduces additional steps in the authentication process, providing quicker access to resources.

4. Reduced latency: The direct integration model may lower response times compared to a multi-step architecture involving AD FS.

5. Easier scalability: Scaling is simpler, as there’s no need to manage or expand an AD FS infrastructure for new integrations.

For more details, refer to the official Microsoft documentation on WS-Federation.

If you need assistance with server setup or configuring SAML/OIDC, our support [email protected] team is also available to help. We’ll be happy to assist you!