Applies to: Exchange Server 2010 SP3, Exchange Server 2010 SP2

Topic Last Modified: 2013-02-14

Single sign-on enables users to access both the on-premises and Microsoft Office 365 organizations with a single user name and password. Single sign-on provides users with a familiar sign-on experience and allows administrators to easily control account policies for cloud-based organization mailboxes by using on-premises Active Directory management tools. Deploying single sign-on includes several components that configure the trust relationship between the on-premises Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) server and the Microsoft Federation Gateway.

Although not a requirement for hybrid deployments, we strongly recommend deploying single sign-on in your on-premises organization to make the account authentication experience seamless and familiar for your users. In addition to users not having to sign in multiple times and having to remember additional passwords when accessing the Office 365 organization, single sign-on also offers the following benefits:

Learn more at: Prepare for single sign-on