Patent ID: 7779248

Claim:
A system, comprising: a system memory; one or more processors; and one or more physical, recordable-type computer-readable media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions of a controlling authority, the controlling authority configured to identify an authenticating authority for authenticating a principal for access to network resources, the controlling authority comprising: an authority resolution module, the authority resolution module configured to: receive a request for an authenticating authority resolution from an authenticating authority that is not authorized to authenticate the principal, wherein the request comprises an account ID of a principal to be authenticated, the account ID including an individual identifier and a domain identifier; access an assignment mapping that maps each account ID in a plurality of account IDs to a corresponding plurality of authenticating authorities that are authorized to authenticate the account ID, the account ID including an individual identifier and a domain identifier, the account ID being used to identify the principal; locate within the assignment mapping an identity of an assigned authenticating authority from among the plurality of authenticating authorities that corresponds to the individual identifier and domain identifier in the account ID of the principal to be authenticated; cause a network interface to transmit an authentication request to the assigned authenticating authority located from among one or more other authenticating authorities, the assigned authenticating authority having been located using the principal's individual identifier and domain identifiers in the principal's account ID, wherein the authentication request asks the assigned authenticating authority to authenticate the principal; and alter the assignment mapping whereby an account ID previously mapped to a first authenticating authority is remapped to a second authenticating authority.