CompTIA CASP+ Practice Test

What strategy incurs the lowest up-front development costs for unifying disparate authentication mechanisms?

1. Single sign-on implementation

2. Federated IDs

3. Custom-built authentication systems

4. OAuth 2.0 integration

The correct answer is: Federated IDs

The strategy that incurs the lowest up-front development costs for unifying disparate authentication mechanisms is federated IDs. This approach allows various systems to recognize a single user identity across different domains or organizations without needing to implement new authentication mechanisms for each individual system. Federated identity management leverages existing credentials from a trusted source, enabling users to authenticate using a single set of credentials across multiple platforms. This minimizes the need for extensive development or integration costs associated with creating unique authentication systems for each application. In contrast, single sign-on implementations can be costly initially, as they often require modifications to various applications to support the SSO framework. Custom-built authentication systems demand significant resources to develop, maintain, and secure, leading to higher up-front costs. OAuth 2.0 integration, while beneficial for delegated access, also requires some level of development work and may involve licensing or third-party tools, which can add to costs. Federated IDs streamline the process by allowing organizations to collaborate on trust and identity management without the complexities and expenses of custom solutions or extensive development work, leading to a more cost-effective and efficient strategy for unifying disparate authentication mechanisms.