SAML 2.0 – Increasing App Security and Facilitating Users Management
SAML 2.0 (Security Assertion Markup Language 2.0) is an open standard for exchanging authentication information between a service provider (e.g. a website or a mobile app) and an identity provider (a trusted provider that supports single sign-on to access other websites - social networks sometimes often as identity providers by verifying that the user is authorised and return authentication information to the site the person was trying to log in to. A familiar example would be the “Login with Facebook” feature seen on various websites.
In an enterprise context, from the end-user point of view, it’s very powerful as it can facilitate access for employees across multiple apps and platforms, drastically cutting the number of credentials required.
From an IT department’s point of view, it’s significantly advantageous, as it increases security and enables IT managers, to secure applications without the need for bespoke development.