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What happens during an enterprise SSO sign-in?
SSO is a trust relationship between an identity provider and an application, not one shared password that every app uses. The IdP authenticates the user and conveys identity information; the application must validate that information and decide what access to grant. Administrators configure how the two systems exchange and interpret that information.
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- An administrator connects the app to the IdP. They select a supported protocol and configure the required endpoints and identity attributes. SAML integrations commonly use federation metadata and reply addresses; OIDC integrations use tenant-specific endpoints and redirect URIs. Microsoft’s overview of its SSO model describes these integration patterns.
- You open the application. In an application-initiated, or SP-initiated, flow, the app sends your browser to the IdP to request sign-in. Microsoft documents SP-initiated flows for both SAML and OIDC.
- The IdP authenticates you. Depending on organizational policy and configuration, this might involve a password, multifactor authentication (MFA), or a passwordless method.
- The IdP applies access policy. It can evaluate conditions such as whether additional authentication is required or access should be blocked before issuing identity information.
- The IdP sends a protocol response. A SAML integration sends an XML assertion. An OIDC integration conveys identity claims in JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) within an OAuth-based flow.
- The app validates the response and starts its session. If the response is trusted and the relevant claims are accepted, the app creates a session of its own. Microsoft’s SAML application requirements identify checks including the signing certificate and its validity, issuer, audience, and required claims.
Microsoft Learn defines SAML as “an open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between an identity provider (IdP) and a service provider.” In practical terms, the assertion carries information that helps the app recognize the sign-in; the app still has to check that the message came from a trusted source and was intended for it. See Microsoft’s SAML authentication documentation.
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Why SSO does not guarantee a prompt-free session in every app
SSO can avoid repeating a credential prompt when the IdP already has an active session and the app accepts the resulting response. It does not guarantee continuous access or eliminate every sign-in step. The identity provider and each application can apply their own policies and session rules.
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- An expired IdP or application session can require another sign-in.
- A policy check can request MFA or another authentication step.
- A user may not be assigned to the application in the IdP.
- An integration mismatch—such as an incorrect endpoint, redirect address, claim, or trust setting—can prevent sign-in.
Starting from an organization’s identity portal is another possible pattern: in an IdP-initiated SAML flow, the user selects the application in the portal and the IdP sends an assertion to it. The application-initiated flow instead begins when the user opens the app. Microsoft documents both patterns in its SSO model guidance.
SAML and OIDC: how the protocols differ
SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC) are different ways to federate sign-in. SAML is a mature XML-based protocol commonly found in enterprise web applications. OIDC is a sign-in protocol built on OAuth 2.0 and uses JWTs; it is often used for newer web, single-page, and mobile applications.
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| Decision factor | SAML 2.0 | OIDC |
|---|---|---|
| Identity information | XML assertions and SAML protocol messages. | JWTs carrying identity claims in OAuth-based flows. |
| Common application fit | Existing or legacy enterprise web applications. | New web, mobile, and single-page applications. |
| Integration details | Assertion attributes, federation metadata, signing certificate, and issuer and audience validation. | Redirect URIs, scopes and claims mapping, and an appropriate OIDC/OAuth flow. Microsoft’s App Gallery requirements call for authorization code flow. |
These are practical tendencies, not a requirement to replace every SAML integration. Microsoft recommends OIDC as the default for new development while describing SAML as appropriate for legacy enterprise applications. The right choice depends on the target app’s protocol support, application type, identity-provider and developer-framework support, customer or procurement requirements, and migration cost. A modern app and a legacy app can use different protocols in the same organization. See Microsoft’s SAML-versus-OIDC decision guide and SSO integration planning guidance.
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What administrators need to configure and protect
Trust settings and endpoints
The IdP and application must agree on where sign-in requests and responses go and which issuer is trusted. SAML integrations commonly exchange federation metadata; OIDC integrations use discovery metadata and tenant-specific endpoints. A wrong reply address or redirect URI can break the flow, while incorrect trust settings can cause an app to reject a response.
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Claims and user assignment
Claims are the identity attributes conveyed to the application. SAML configurations commonly define assertion attributes and a NameID; OIDC configurations use scopes and claims mapping. Send only the user information the application needs. Also verify that the user is assigned in the IdP and, where required, provisioned in the application: configuring SSO alone does not establish either condition.
Response validation
An app should treat an incoming assertion or token as untrusted until validation succeeds. For SAML, that includes checking the signing certificate and its validity, the issuer, the intended audience, and required claims. Microsoft lists these among its App Gallery SSO requirements.
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Authentication and access policy
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