Q: Can Swift Auth be used for companies with one server?

A: Swift Auth can help you to manage access to Web resources whether you have just one Web server, several Web servers at one site, or many Web servers spread across the Internet. Swift Auth can be employed as a universal authentication mechanism for a single Apache server or as a full-fledged, single sign-on multi-server identity management and access control system.

Q: Can Swift Auth accommodate multiple jurisdictions within a federation?

A: For federations with many jurisdictions, Swift Auth can provide federation-wide identities for all users with a single sign-on capability and give each jurisdiction the ability to grant or deny access to its Web services based on user identity and group membership. A Swift Auth-enabled Web server can provide single sign-on and access control for other Web servers, themselves Swift Auth-enabled or not.

Q: Do users in the same federation have to be authenticated in the same way?

A: No. Each jurisdiction that provides authentication services for its users is free to authenticate them using any method (or combination of methods) that is supported by Swift Auth.

Q: Can one organization or Web site host multiple jurisdictions or federations?

A: Swift Auth makes it easy for a single Web server to be responsible for many jurisdictions, even if they belong to different federations.

Q: Can we continue to use existing access control methods and security measures?

A: Yes. Swift Auth can control access to a program that has its own authentication or authorization methods because Swift Auth does its work before the program runs. A jurisdiction is free to filter out requests before or after Swift Auth is invoked on a Web service request.

Q: Is Swift Auth cost effective?

A: Swift Auth takes a pragmatic approach to authentication, identity management, and access control. Organizations are usually unable or unwilling to make any but minor changes to their computing environment, existing applications, and Web services, whether for financial or political reasons, lack of qualified personnel, or because of other concerns. The additional administrative overhead incurred by a new software system is often a significant impediment to its use. The Swift Auth framework recognizes these facts and strives to minimize the cost of adopting and administering Swift Auth and participating in a federation.

Q: How else can Swift Auth be used?

A: Because of its versatility and feature set, Swift Auth can be applied to multiple information management issues in addition to controlling access to Web resources. For example, Swift Auth can provide fine-grained access control, programmed audit trails for Web access, or look for unusual Web service requests.