In identity management, what does federation refer to?

In identity management, what does federation refer to?

• A. A centralized database for all user credentials.
• B. Links electronic identity and attributes stored across multiple distinct identity management systems.
• C. A process for encrypting sensitive data during transmission.
• D. A policy for biometric authentication challenges.

Answer: (B)

Federation in identity management is a system of trust that lets a user use one set of credentials across multiple, distinct organizations or domains. It links electronic identity and the attributes stored in separate identity management systems so that another service can recognize and rely on that user without requiring a new account. In practice, you have an identity provider you trust, and multiple service providers rely on that provider to confirm who you are and what rights you have. This is done through standardized exchange of identity assertions (for example, SAML or OpenID Connect), enabling single sign-on across organizational boundaries. It avoids duplicating user accounts across every domain and reduces password proliferation. The other options don’t fit federation: a centralized database describes a single store for credentials, which is not federation because the identity data remains in multiple systems; encryption during transmission is about securing data in transit, not about cross-domain trust; and a policy for biometric authentication challenges is about how authentication is performed, not about linking identities across systems.

Federation in identity management is a system of trust that lets a user use one set of credentials across multiple, distinct organizations or domains. It links electronic identity and the attributes stored in separate identity management systems so that another service can recognize and rely on that user without requiring a new account.

In practice, you have an identity provider you trust, and multiple service providers rely on that provider to confirm who you are and what rights you have. This is done through standardized exchange of identity assertions (for example, SAML or OpenID Connect), enabling single sign-on across organizational boundaries. It avoids duplicating user accounts across every domain and reduces password proliferation.

The other options don’t fit federation: a centralized database describes a single store for credentials, which is not federation because the identity data remains in multiple systems; encryption during transmission is about securing data in transit, not about cross-domain trust; and a policy for biometric authentication challenges is about how authentication is performed, not about linking identities across systems.