Which protocol should be configured to extend SSO to a new cloud-based accounting application?
An organization completed a project to deploy SSO across all business applications last year. Recently, the finance department selected a new cloud-based accounting software vendor. Which of the following should most likely be configured during the new software deployment?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer B. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
The question tests the difference between enterprise SSO protocols (SAML) and network authentication protocols (RADIUS/EAP), with the trap being to select based on the 'cloud' keyword rather than the SSO requirement.
For extending an existing SSO deployment to a new cloud-based accounting application, configure SAML to federate authentication between the identity provider and the software vendor. The CompTIA Security+ community unanimously identifies SAML as the correct answer, since RADIUS and EAP are network-level protocols and OpenID is less correlated with enterprise SSO in this scenario.
RADIUS — because many candidates see network/device authentication in RADIUS and think it supports single sign-on, but it authenticates network access and does not provide the federation and assertion capabilities needed for cloud application SSO.
Community Discussion (3 comments)
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is an open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between an identity provider (IdP) and a service provider (SP). Since the organization already uses SSO, SAML is the natural protocol to configure for the new cloud-based accounting vendor so users can authenticate once and access the new app without separate credentials. The community consensus supports this: comment [1] explains SAML is widely used for SSO across enterprise applications and cloud services, while comment [2] notes it is an open standard for authentication and authorization.Why the Other Options Are Wrong
RADIUS is a networking protocol used for centralized authentication of users to network access (VPN, wireless, switches) — not for federated SSO into cloud applications, as comment [1] states. EAP is an authentication framework used inside network connections (e.g., 802.1X, Wi-Fi) and does not provide web-based SSO assertions. OpenID (especially OpenID Connect) can support SSO, but the question specifies "cloud-based accounting software vendor" in an enterprise SSO context, where SAML is the standard answer; OpenID is less likely to be the protocol used in that legacy/enterprise integration.Community Comment Notes
Commenters unanimously chose SAML and provided concise justifications. Comment [1] is the most useful: it distinguishes SAML from RADIUS and EAP, noting that RADIUS is for network access authentication and is not generally used for SSO with cloud apps. Comment [3] simply voted SAML without extra detail, and comment [2] reinforces that SAML is an open standard for both authentication and authorization. No alternative answers were supported.Official Reference
Exam Strategy
When you see SSO plus a cloud application, immediately think of federation protocols like SAML. Eliminate RADIUS and EAP as network-level authentication methods, and only consider OpenID/OpenID Connect if the question explicitly mentions modern web/API scenarios or an OAuth ecosystem.
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