The application must employ identity providers and authorization servers to manage user, device, and nonperson entity (NPE) identities, attributes, and access rights supporting authentication and authorization decisions in accordance with organization-defined identification and authentication policy using organization-defined mechanisms.

Identity providers, both internal and external to the organization, manage the user, device, and NPE authenticators and issue statements, often called identity assertions, attesting to identities of other systems or systems components. Authorization servers create and issue access tokens to identified and authenticated users and devices that can be used to gain access to system or information resources. For example, single sign-on (SSO) provides identity provider and authorization server functions. Authenticator management (to include credential management) is covered by IA-05.