How does "Federated Authentication" enhance user experience in Salesforce?

Federated Authentication significantly enhances user experience in Salesforce by allowing users to authenticate through an external Identity Provider (IdP) without the need to create a separate Salesforce account. This streamlines the login process, as users can leverage existing credentials from a trusted source to gain access to Salesforce. By doing so, it alleviates the burden of managing multiple usernames and passwords, which can be a common challenge for users who need access to various applications.

This approach promotes a seamless and efficient user experience, allowing individuals to maintain productivity without remembering different credentials for each platform they use. Furthermore, it enhances security by centralizing authentication in a trusted IdP, which can enforce policies such as multi-factor authentication or Single Sign-On (SSO) across various services.

In contrast, requiring users to create new accounts would introduce additional friction into the login process, making it less user-friendly. Limiting access to only on-premises applications does not enhance the experience for a cloud-based platform like Salesforce, where users often need to access it from various locations. Providing two-factor authentication for all users, while an important security measure, may not directly relate to the ease of access and streamlined experience that Federated Authentication offers.