Modern enterprises face growing challenges in managing user identities across diverse systems, cloud platforms, and applications. To streamline access and bolster security, organizations are increasingly adopting enterprise-grade identity federation and single sign-on (SSO) solutions. This article explores the business value of identity federation, compares PingOne Advanced Identity Cloud and Microsoft Entra ID, and offers a practical guide for cross-platform SSO integration while enhancing security with OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect.

The Business Value of Identity Federation and SSO

Identity federation and SSO are not just IT conveniences—they are strategic enablers. They simplify user experiences by allowing seamless access to multiple systems with a single set of credentials. For businesses, this reduces help desk overhead from password resets, mitigates security risks from password reuse, and improves compliance by centralizing access control.

SSO also supports workforce productivity by reducing login friction and enables identity federation between partner organizations, subsidiaries, and SaaS platforms. When implemented with strong protocols such as SAML, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect, identity federation becomes a scalable backbone for enterprise identity management.

An Introduction to PingOne Advanced Identity Cloud

PingOne Advanced Identity Cloud is a comprehensive identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) platform designed for large-scale identity and access management. It supports a wide range of use cases including SSO, identity federation, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and adaptive authentication.

Key features of PingOne Advanced Identity Cloud include:

  • Cloud-native architecture for high availability and scalability
  • Identity orchestration for complex flows across user journeys
  • Support for standards like SAML, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect
  • Integration with on-prem directories and cloud applications

PingOne’s robust federation capabilities allow enterprises to establish trust relationships with other identity providers or service providers, enabling seamless user access across domains and partners.

Identity Federation with Microsoft Entra ID

Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) provides enterprise-grade identity and access management, with strong native support for federation and SSO. Organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem benefit from Entra ID’s built-in integrations with Microsoft 365, Azure, and third-party SaaS apps.

Key aspects of Microsoft Entra ID federation include:

  • Support for SAML 2.0, WS-Federation, and OAuth 2.0
  • B2B collaboration using cross-tenant access settings
  • Conditional Access policies for adaptive security
  • Single sign-on across Microsoft and non-Microsoft applications

Microsoft Entra ID makes it easy to federate identities across multiple tenants, enabling scenarios like partner access, mergers and acquisitions, or hybrid cloud deployments.

Cross-Platform SSO Integration: A Practical Guide

Integrating PingOne Advanced Identity Cloud and Microsoft Entra ID in a single architecture is a common enterprise use case. This enables users from different identity domains to securely access shared applications. Below is a high-level schematic diagram that illustrates such an integration:

[User] 
   ↓
[Application (SP)]
   ↓ SAML/OIDC
[PingOne or Microsoft Entra ID (IdP)]
   ↓
[Authentication via MFA/Policy]
   ↓
[Access Token / ID Token issued]
   ↓
[Application grants access]

In practice, an organization may configure Microsoft Entra ID as the identity provider (IdP) for some applications while relying on PingOne to federate external identities. Alternatively, PingOne can serve as the IdP and federate with Entra ID through SAML or OpenID Connect to support user authentication.

When setting up cross-platform SSO, ensure consistent token claims, clock synchronization, and user attribute mapping. Implement MFA across providers for higher security.

Enhancing Security with OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect

While SAML remains a key protocol in enterprise identity federation, OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect offer modern, lightweight, and API-friendly alternatives that integrate well with mobile and cloud-native applications.

  • OAuth 2.0 handles authorization by issuing access tokens for APIs.
  • OpenID Connect (OIDC) builds on OAuth 2.0 to provide authentication via ID tokens.

Both PingOne and Microsoft Entra ID offer full support for OAuth 2.0 and OIDC, enabling granular access control and strong authentication. For example, an enterprise mobile app can use OIDC to authenticate users with PingOne and then obtain an OAuth token to access APIs protected by Microsoft Entra ID.

This dual capability ensures that both user authentication and API authorization are covered, reducing security blind spots in hybrid identity environments.

Common Pitfalls and Best Practices

Common Pitfalls:

  • Misalignment in token lifetime between systems
  • Inconsistent user attributes or missing mappings
  • Weak session management or token storage
  • Incomplete logout implementation across providers

Best Practices:

  • Use mutual TLS or signed JWTs between IdPs and SPs
  • Enable audit logging and anomaly detection
  • Regularly test SSO flows end-to-end after updates
  • Adopt Just-In-Time (JIT) provisioning where possible
  • Apply adaptive access policies based on user risk

When designed correctly, an identity federation and SSO architecture not only improves usability but also enforces security and governance across organizational boundaries.

Final Thoughts

Building a robust enterprise identity federation and SSO solution using PingOne Advanced Identity Cloud and Microsoft Entra ID is achievable with a standards-based approach. By combining the flexibility of PingOne with the native capabilities of Microsoft Entra ID and layering OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect on top, enterprises can create a scalable and secure identity fabric.

Are your SSO integrations truly seamless across all your user bases? Have you evaluated your federation architecture against modern Zero Trust principles?