Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS)
Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) is a component of Microsoft Windows Server that provides federated identity management and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities. It allows users to access multiple applications and resources, across organizational boundaries, with a single set of…
Key facts
- First appeared
- 2005
- Category
- technology
- Problem solved
- AD FS was created to solve the challenge of enabling secure, seamless access to applications and resources across disparate security domains or organizations, without requiring users to maintain multiple sets of credentials or for organizations to synchronize entire user directories. It specifically addressed the limitations of traditional Kerberos/NTLM authentication, which were effective within a single domain but ill-suited for internet-scale, cross-organizational trust.
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows Server
Related technologies
Notable users
- Companies with complex B2B and extranet scenarios
- Large enterprises in finance, government, healthcare, education
- Organizations heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem (e.g., SharePoint, Exchange, Dynamics)