Security Assertion Markup Language

What Does Security Assertion Markup Language Mean?

Security Assertion Markup Language is a language protocol for handling authentication and authorization in a network. It is one of various XML-based markup languages available to help with aspects of web development and use.

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Techopedia Explains Security Assertion Markup Language

The idea of Security Assertion Markup Language involves putting together the end user with other parties, including the identity provider and service provider. Using different kinds of authentication, Security Assertion Markup Language helps processes to handle these multiple roles and authentication "triangles" in customized ways to accommodate a Single Sign On (SSO) authentication. SAML is a popular resource for SSO, but competes with other technologies that facilitate this kind of access, such as OpenID.

Security Assertion Markup Language is a product of the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) Security Services Technical Committee and developed in the early years of the twenty-first century. SAML combines a number of technologies including XML, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and simple object access protocol (SOAP), an application layer protocol that helps to identify parts of SAML processes.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…