Authentication service for seamless application operation

In a computer networking environment including at least a client computer system and a datacenter comprising a plurality of server computer systems, a method for providing a server-side authentication service that allows seamless access to datacenter-provided information corresponding to various client-side applications, the method comprising:

• an act of receiving at a datacenter server computer one or more user credentials from a client-side authentication service, the datacenter server providing a server-side authentication service that authenticates the received user credentials, authorizing the user to access datacenter-provided information provided by one or more datacenters corresponding to the user's applications;
• an act of causing an authorization indication to be generated using the received user credentials, the authorization indication indicating that the user is authorized to access the datacenter-provided information corresponding to the user's applications for a limited amount of time;
• an act of sending the generated authorization indication to the client computer, the generated authorization indication including an expiration stamp identifying when the authorization indication's validity ends;
• an act of receiving an information request from a client-side application to access datacenter-provided information corresponding to the client-side application, the information request including the authorization indication;
• and
• an act of automatically sending the requested client-side application information without prompting the user to provide user credentials for authentication, the included authorization indication indicating that the user is authorized to access the requested information.

A computer system comprising the following:

• one or more processors;
• system memory;
• one or more computer-readable storage media having thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the computing system to perform a method for providing a client-side authentication service that allows seamless access to datacenter-provided information corresponding to various client-side applications, the method comprising the following:
• an act of an act of receiving at a client computer one or more user credentials from a computer user;
• an act of sending the received user credentials to an authentication service running on at least one server computer in a datacenter, the authentication service being configured to authenticate the user credentials such that the user is authorized to access datacenter-provided information provided by one or more datacenters corresponding to one or more client-side applications;
• an act of receiving an authorization indication from the authentication service indicating that the user is authorized to access the datacenter-provided information;
• an act of storing the received authorization indication in a credential store on the client computer;
• an act of receiving from a client-side application an authentication request to authenticate the user;
• an act of automatically sending the stored authentication indication indicating that the user is authorized to access the datacenter-provided information, without prompting the user to provide user credentials for authentication;
• an act of requesting a credential expiration value for the stored authorization indication generated based on the user's credentials;
• an act of receiving an indication from the datacenter identifying an expiration value for the stored authorization indication;
• and
• an act of initiating a timer so that, based on the expiration value received from the datacenter, the client knows when to prompt the user to input updated credentials.