The answer is implementing federated SSO with the enterprise identity provider and automated provisioning for SaaS users. This solution centralizes authentication through a single IdP, so users sign in once and eliminate the 120 monthly password reset tickets caused by managing local accounts across SaaS A and B. Automated provisioning, typically via SCIM, synchronizes user attributes and triggers near-instant deprovisioning upon termination, closing the 24-hour window where former employees remain active in SaaS A and B. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of identity federation and lifecycle management—a common trap is choosing a manual deprovisioning process or a separate IdP without automation, which fails to address the speed requirement. Remember the key pairing: federated SSO solves the sign-in problem, while automated provisioning solves the offboarding delay. A helpful mnemonic is “SSO for sign-on, SCIM for sign-off.”
SY0-701 Security Architecture Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security architecture. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Exhibit
Exhibit:
- SaaS A uses local user accounts
- SaaS B uses local user accounts
- SaaS C supports SAML and automated provisioning
- Help desk reports 120 password reset tickets per month
- Former employees can remain active in two apps for up to 24 hours after termination
Management wants one sign-in and faster deprovisioning.
Based on the exhibit, which identity architecture change best addresses the repeated password resets and delayed offboarding across the company's SaaS applications?
Exhibit:
- SaaS A uses local user accounts
- SaaS B uses local user accounts
- SaaS C supports SAML and automated provisioning
- Help desk reports 120 password reset tickets per month
- Former employees can remain active in two apps for up to 24 hours after termination
Management wants one sign-in and faster deprovisioning.
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Exhibit:
- SaaS A uses local user accounts
- SaaS B uses local user accounts
- SaaS C supports SAML and automated provisioning
- Help desk reports 120 password reset tickets per month
- Former employees can remain active in two apps for up to 24 hours after termination
Management wants one sign-in and faster deprovisioning.
A
Implement federated SSO with the enterprise identity provider and automated provisioning for SaaS users.
This is the best answer because federation centralizes authentication, and automated provisioning improves lifecycle management. Users sign in once through the identity provider, reducing password fatigue and help desk resets. When accounts are created, modified, or removed centrally, access changes can reach supported applications much faster, which helps with offboarding and reduces orphaned access.
B
Create one shared account for each application and store the passwords in a vault.
Why wrong: Shared accounts make accountability worse and create a larger blast radius if credentials are exposed. A vault is useful for secrets management, but it does not solve individual identity, least privilege, or timely offboarding concerns.
C
Keep local accounts in every SaaS app and reset passwords whenever staff change roles.
Why wrong: This preserves the exact problem shown in the exhibit: scattered accounts and manual maintenance. It increases administrative burden and makes consistent offboarding harder, especially as the number of applications grows.
D
Put the SaaS apps behind a network firewall and use source IP filtering instead of identity.
Why wrong: IP filtering does not replace identity-based access control and does not solve password resets or account lifecycle issues. Remote users, changing networks, and mobile access make IP-based controls too brittle for this requirement.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Implement federated SSO with the enterprise identity provider and automated provisioning for SaaS users.
Option A is correct because implementing federated SSO with the enterprise identity provider (IdP) centralizes authentication, allowing users to sign in once. Combined with automated provisioning (SCIM), it enables near-instant deprovisioning when an employee is terminated, eliminating the 24-hour delay and reducing password reset tickets by removing the need for local account management.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Implement federated SSO with the enterprise identity provider and automated provisioning for SaaS users.
Why this is correct
This is the best answer because federation centralizes authentication, and automated provisioning improves lifecycle management. Users sign in once through the identity provider, reducing password fatigue and help desk resets. When accounts are created, modified, or removed centrally, access changes can reach supported applications much faster, which helps with offboarding and reduces orphaned access.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create one shared account for each application and store the passwords in a vault.
Why it's wrong here
Shared accounts make accountability worse and create a larger blast radius if credentials are exposed. A vault is useful for secrets management, but it does not solve individual identity, least privilege, or timely offboarding concerns.
✗
Keep local accounts in every SaaS app and reset passwords whenever staff change roles.
Why it's wrong here
This preserves the exact problem shown in the exhibit: scattered accounts and manual maintenance. It increases administrative burden and makes consistent offboarding harder, especially as the number of applications grows.
✗
Put the SaaS apps behind a network firewall and use source IP filtering instead of identity.
Why it's wrong here
IP filtering does not replace identity-based access control and does not solve password resets or account lifecycle issues. Remote users, changing networks, and mobile access make IP-based controls too brittle for this requirement.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse network-layer controls (firewall, IP filtering) with identity-layer solutions, failing to recognize that only federated SSO with automated provisioning addresses both single sign-in and rapid deprovisioning across SaaS apps.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
This preserves the exact problem shown in the exhibit: scattered accounts and manual maintenance. It increases administrative burden and makes consistent offboarding harder, especially as the number of applications grows.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Federated SSO typically uses SAML 2.0 or OIDC to exchange authentication assertions between the IdP and service providers, while automated provisioning relies on the SCIM 2.0 protocol (RFC 7644) to synchronize user attributes and lifecycle events. In practice, when an employee is terminated, the IdP sends a SCIM DELETE or PATCH request to SaaS C (and any SCIM-enabled apps), disabling the account within seconds, whereas local accounts require manual intervention and often miss the 24-hour window.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SY0-701 question in full detail.
Security Architecture — This question tests Security Architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implement federated SSO with the enterprise identity provider and automated provisioning for SaaS users. — Option A is correct because implementing federated SSO with the enterprise identity provider (IdP) centralizes authentication, allowing users to sign in once. Combined with automated provisioning (SCIM), it enables near-instant deprovisioning when an employee is terminated, eliminating the 24-hour delay and reducing password reset tickets by removing the need for local account management.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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