For enabling Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities across cloud applications, which technology should the organization employ?

In the context of enabling Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities across cloud applications, OAuth is indeed associated with authorization and can play a significant role in delegating access rights on behalf of users. However, it is essential to consider that while OAuth is primarily an authorization protocol, it lacks the capabilities to handle authentication directly, which is a crucial aspect of SSO.

SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is the technology that is designed for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, particularly between identity providers and service providers. SAML facilitates SSO by allowing users to log in once and gain access to multiple applications without needing to log in again for each one. This makes it particularly suitable for enterprise applications and services in a cloud environment.

On the other hand, LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is used for directory services, which can manage user credentials and roles but does not support web-based SSO directly. OpenID also assists with authentication; however, it is seen as less flexible and secure compared to SAML in enterprise settings.

Consequently, while OAuth provides important functionalities regarding resource access, SAML is the more appropriate choice for establishing SSO across cloud applications, ensuring that authentication and authorization are handled securely and efficiently.