- A
Federation trust between the corporate identity provider and the SaaS provider.
Federation lets the SaaS application accept authentication from the company’s identity provider. This avoids local account sprawl and supports centralized control of user sign-in.
- B
Single sign-on so users authenticate once and reuse that session across apps.
Single sign-on is the user-facing experience that reduces repeated logins across trusted applications. It improves usability while keeping authentication centralized through one identity source.
- C
Shared generic accounts for each department.
Why wrong: Shared accounts weaken accountability because actions cannot be tied to one person. They also create password-sharing risks and make it harder to revoke access cleanly when people leave.
- D
Storing the same password inside every SaaS application.
Why wrong: Duplicating passwords across services increases the chance of reuse and compromise. If one application is breached, attackers may reuse the credentials elsewhere.
- E
Disabling MFA so the sign-in process is faster.
Why wrong: Disabling MFA reduces security and is not required for SSO. A secure architecture typically keeps MFA in place because centralized sign-in should still be strongly protected.
Quick Answer
The answer is single sign-on (SSO) and federation trust, typically implemented via SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect (OIDC). SSO allows employees to authenticate once with their corporate credentials and reuse that session across multiple SaaS apps, while federation establishes a trust relationship between the corporate identity provider (IdP) and each SaaS provider, enabling the apps to accept authentication assertions without requiring separate passwords. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this concept tests your understanding of how federation and SSO streamline access management in cloud environments—a common trap is confusing SSO with simple password synchronization, which does not involve trust relationships. Remember that federation is the “bridge” (the trust), and SSO is the “single door” (the session reuse). A helpful mnemonic: “Fed the SAML to OIDC, then SSO once to go.”
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.
A company wants employees to sign in once with corporate credentials and access multiple SaaS apps without creating separate passwords for each service. Which two features best support this goal? Select two.
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.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Federation trust between the corporate identity provider and the SaaS provider.
Option A is correct because federation trust, typically implemented via standards like SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect, establishes a trust relationship between the corporate identity provider (IdP) and each SaaS provider. This allows the SaaS app to accept authentication assertions from the corporate IdP, enabling users to sign in with their corporate credentials without needing separate passwords for each service.
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.
- ✓
Federation trust between the corporate identity provider and the SaaS provider.
Why this is correct
Federation lets the SaaS application accept authentication from the company’s identity provider. This avoids local account sprawl and supports centralized control of user sign-in.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Single sign-on so users authenticate once and reuse that session across apps.
Why this is correct
Single sign-on is the user-facing experience that reduces repeated logins across trusted applications. It improves usability while keeping authentication centralized through one identity source.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Shared generic accounts for each department.
Why it's wrong here
Shared accounts weaken accountability because actions cannot be tied to one person. They also create password-sharing risks and make it harder to revoke access cleanly when people leave.
- ✗
Storing the same password inside every SaaS application.
Why it's wrong here
Duplicating passwords across services increases the chance of reuse and compromise. If one application is breached, attackers may reuse the credentials elsewhere.
- ✗
Disabling MFA so the sign-in process is faster.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling MFA reduces security and is not required for SSO. A secure architecture typically keeps MFA in place because centralized sign-in should still be strongly protected.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse SSO (Option B) with federation (Option A) as being redundant, but they are complementary—federation establishes the trust relationship, while SSO provides the seamless session reuse—so both are required to meet the goal of signing in once with corporate credentials across multiple SaaS apps.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Federation relies on exchanging digitally signed SAML assertions or JWT tokens between the IdP and service provider (SP). The user authenticates once at the IdP, which then issues a token containing claims (e.g., user identity, group memberships) that the SP trusts based on a pre-established metadata exchange. In real-world deployments, this enables seamless access to apps like Salesforce or Office 365 while enforcing centralized policies like conditional access or MFA at the IdP level.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
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: Federation trust between the corporate identity provider and the SaaS provider. — Option A is correct because federation trust, typically implemented via standards like SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect, establishes a trust relationship between the corporate identity provider (IdP) and each SaaS provider. This allows the SaaS app to accept authentication assertions from the corporate IdP, enabling users to sign in with their corporate credentials without needing separate passwords for each service.
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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SY0-701 exam.
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