The blog post highlights the integration of the SAML Plugin with Kong Gateway and Microsoft Azure Active Directory, focusing on how this enhances Kong’s API management capabilities. It explains the distinction between SAML and OpenID authentication protocols, noting that SAML is commonly used for enterprise Single Sign-On (SSO) scenarios while OpenID caters to consumer applications. The post details the SAML authentication process, where Kong acts as the Service Provider and Azure AD serves as the Identity Provider, illustrating the steps for configuration and the flow of user authentication. It also provides a practical guide for setting up the SAML Plugin in Kong Konnect, including the necessary configurations within Azure AD and Kong. The article is part of the Kong Champions series, which encourages users to explore Kong’s innovations and become part of the community by signing up as Kong Champions.