Patent ID: 8234508

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: an acquisition section that requests an external authentication apparatus or an internal authentication apparatus to perform authentication of a user who makes a processing request to the information processing apparatus, and that acquires an authentication result of the authentication of the user from the external authentication apparatus or the internal authentication apparatus; an authentication history management section that manages authentication history information including the authentication result of the authentication of the user, which is acquired by the acquisition section; a power switching section that switches a power state of the information processing apparatus to one of a first power state, a second power state in which consumed power is more than consumed power in the first power state, and a third power state in which consumed power is more than consumed power in the second power state; and a power control section that controls switching of a power state by the power switching section before the acquisition section acquires an authentication result of authentication of the user from the external authentication apparatus or the internal authentication apparatus by referring to authentication history information managed by the authentication management section of the user, when a processing request from the user is received in the first power state.