Overview

Enterprises running mission-critical .NET and ASP.NET Core applications require an identity solution that delivers secure, centralized authentication along with automated user lifecycle management. As application portfolios grow, many organizations rely on application-specific authentication and manual user management, resulting in fragmented login experiences, higher administrative overhead, and increased security risk.

This use case demonstrates how implementing .NET Single Sign-On (SSO) with SCIM-based provisioning enables organizations to centralize authentication, standardize access control, and automate identity lifecycle management across all ASP.NET applications. By combining SSO and SCIM, organizations achieve a unified, scalable identity framework that improves user experience, strengthens security, and supports compliance requirements.

Prerequisites

The customer environment consists of one or more ASP.NET or ASP.NET Core applications accessed by employees, partners, or external users. Each application currently manages authentication independently or uses inconsistent authentication mechanisms, leading to multiple login prompts and fragmented access control.

User accounts are created, updated, and removed through manual or semi-automated processes, with no standardized provisioning protocol in place. While the organization intends to move toward centralized IAM governance, authentication and user lifecycle management are not yet unified across the .NET application ecosystem.

This environment creates a clear business need to introduce centralized authentication using Single Sign-On (SSO) and automate user lifecycle management through SCIM.

The Challenge

As the number of .NET applications and users increased, the organization faced growing identity complexity from both business and technical perspectives.

Business Challenges

• Multiple login experiences reducing user productivity.
• Slow onboarding due to manual access configuration.
• Delayed offboarding increasing security exposure.
• High IT operational costs from application-specific access management.
• Limited visibility into application access and usage.

Technical Challenges

• Separate authentication implementations across ASP.NET applications.
• No centralized authentication or session management.
• Lack of standardized user provisioning and deprovisioning.
• Inconsistent user attributes, roles, and permissions.
• Risk of stale or orphaned user accounts.
• Scalability limitations as applications and users continued to grow.

Our Solution

miniOrange delivered an enterprise-grade identity and access management solution by implementing .NET Single Sign-On (SSO) for centralized authentication alongside SCIM-based provisioning for automated user lifecycle management. This unified approach addressed both runtime access and identity lifecycle challenges across the .NET ecosystem.

.NET Single Sign-On

SSO was implemented using SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect, enabling centralized authentication through a single enterprise Identity Provider (IdP). Users authenticate once using corporate credentials and gain seamless access to all authorized ASP.NET applications. Secure token validation, claims-based authorization, and role-based access controls ensure consistent enforcement of security policies across applications.

SCIM User Provisioning

SCIM provisioning automated the creation, update, and deprovisioning of user accounts across all .NET applications. User identities, attributes, and role assignments are synchronized in near real time between the IdP and applications, ensuring access accurately reflects the user’s current status. This removes manual administrative effort and eliminates the risk of outdated or excessive access.

Together, SSO and SCIM establish centralized identity governance for both authentication and user lifecycle management.

Flow

1. User attempts to access a protected .NET application.
2. Application redirects the user to the enterprise IdP.
3. User authenticates using corporate credentials.
4. IdP issues a secure authentication token.
5. miniOrange validates the token and establishes an application session.
6. SCIM provisions or updates the user account and roles as required.
7. Access is granted based on centralized policies and role assignments.

Benefits

• Seamless single sign-on across all ASP.NET applications.
• Faster onboarding and offboarding through automated provisioning.
• Reduced IT operational costs with centralized identity management.
• Consistent authentication and authorization policies.
• Improved security with immediate access revocation.
• Enhanced compliance, audit readiness, and access visibility.
• Scalable architecture supporting future application growth.
• Elimination of orphaned and inactive user accounts.
• Improved user productivity and access experience.

Result

Following implementation, the organization achieved measurable improvements across security and operations:

• 70–80% reduction in identity-related support requests.
• User onboarding time reduced from days to minutes.
• Immediate access removal during offboarding with zero access gaps.
• Improved security posture through centralized authentication and governance.
• Reduced administrative overhead and increased system reliability.