Integrating with Passport

Microsoft Passport delivers the following two services, either of which may be integrated into a Microsoft Commerce Server Web site. These services may be integrated separately, or they may both be integrated into the same site:

• Passport Single Sign In. Passport offers an authentication service that allows Passport users to use a single user name and password for authenticated access to any Web site that employs Passport authentication.
• Passport Express Purchase. Passport offers a wallet service that allows Passport users to store their credit card and address information with Passport, and then have that information made available to any Web site that employs the Passport wallet.

Customers benefit from Passport integration because they only have a single user name and password to remember, they can avoid entering credit card and address information for every electronic purchase they make, and their sensitive information is maintained in fewer locations. Furthermore, Web sites that want to use Passport are required to adhere to a standardized privacy policy.

Merchants benefit from Passport integration because the improved user experience should encourage more customers to join a Web site as registered users, and should result in fewer abandoned shopping carts. The standardized privacy policy should also result in your users displaying a greater willingness to share personal information.

This section discusses these two integration opportunities separately.

This section contains:

• Integrating Passport Single Sign In. Describes the Passport authentication service and the ways in which it can be integrated into a Commerce Server Web site.
• Using Secure Sockets Layer with Microsoft Passport. Explains that you must use SSL because Passport requires SSL to transfer Wallet information to the site during checkout. Provides links to more information on www.microsoft.com.
• Integrating Passport Express Purchase. Describes the Passport wallet service and the ways in which it can be integrated into a Commerce Server Web site.
• Next Steps in Integrating with Passport. Provides information about where to continue the process of learning more about Passport and how to integrate it into a Commerce Server Web site.

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