Federated Authentication

Allows organizations to use their existing identity provider (IdP) to authenticate Managed Apple IDs, enabling single sign-on (SSO) with corporate credentials.

What to Know

Federated Authentication eliminates the need for users to remember separate passwords for Managed Apple IDs by allowing them to authenticate with their existing corporate credentials (Azure AD, Okta, Google Workspace, etc.). This improves user experience, reduces password fatigue, and simplifies IT support by centralizing authentication in the organization’s existing identity system. Federated auth also enables conditional access policies, multi-factor authentication, and centralized account lifecycle management—when a user is offboarded from the IdP, their Managed Apple ID access is automatically revoked.

For organizations deploying Managed Apple IDs at scale, federated authentication is essential for maintaining security parity with other corporate systems. Without it, Managed Apple IDs become isolated accounts with separate passwords, increasing the risk of weak passwords, credential reuse, and orphaned accounts after employee departures.

Common Scenarios

Enterprise IT: Corporate IT configures federated authentication to integrate Managed Apple IDs with Azure AD, allowing employees to sign in to iCloud, App Store, and other Apple services using their existing corporate credentials and MFA. This eliminates password management friction and ensures that deprovisioned employees lose access to Apple services immediately when their corporate account is disabled. IT typically configures federated auth during initial ABM setup to ensure all Managed Apple IDs leverage SSO from day one.

MSP: MSPs configure federated authentication for clients with existing identity providers, though some smaller clients may lack the infrastructure to support it. MSPs should educate clients about the security and user experience benefits of federated auth, especially for clients concerned about password management overhead. Setup requires coordination between the MSP, client IT, and the identity provider, so MSPs should allocate time for testing and troubleshooting during implementation.

Education: Schools configure federated authentication to integrate Managed Apple IDs with their student information systems or learning management platforms. This allows students and teachers to sign in to Apple services using their school credentials, simplifying access and ensuring that graduating students automatically lose access to school Apple IDs when their accounts are deprovisioned. Federated auth is especially valuable for schools with existing SSO infrastructure.

In Addigy

While Addigy doesn’t directly configure federated authentication (it’s set up in Apple Business Manager), Addigy supports devices using federated Managed Apple IDs without any special configuration. Users authenticate through their identity provider during device setup or when accessing iCloud services, and Addigy manages the device normally. Addigy documentation includes federated authentication setup guides that walk admins through the ABM configuration process with common IdPs like Azure AD and Okta.