If multiple applications in the enterprise use the same LDAP server to authenticate, why force your users to re-enter the same username and password just because they are moving from one application to another? The answer, as usual, is time and money. However, implementing a Single Sign-On (SSO) solution and configuring Alfresco to leverage it may be easier than you think.

There are many SSO providers available and specific implementations can vary dramatically from company to company. In the next exercise, you'll install an open source SSO server called CAS from JA-SIG, and then configure Alfresco to use it. This should give you just enough of a taste of SSO to determine if it makes sense in your organization and what might be involved for a full production rollout, whether using CAS or some other SSO package.