Linking identities in a network entity

A computer-implemented method for allowing collaboration among end users of a collaborative application by using an identifier of the end users that is different from a first identifier, the method comprising:

• an act of receiving at a network entity an authentication request from one or more collaborative applications that use the network entity to authenticate one or more end users that use the one or more collaborative applications,
• an act of the network entity using a first identifier of a first end user of the one or more end users that is associated with the network entity, the first identifier being within a recognition domain of the network entity and being used by the network entity to verify that at least the first end user is permitted to use at least one of the one or more collaborative applications;
• in response, an act of the network entity sending first data to the one of the one or more collaborative applications, the first data being structured to be interpretable by the one of the one or more applications as meaning that the first end user is permitted to use the one of the one or more collaborative applications;
• an act of receiving, at the network entity, from the one of the one or more collaborative applications a second identifier for the first end user, the second identifier not at least initially being within the recognition domain of the network entity;
• an act of linking the second identifier with the first identifier;
• and
• an act of the network entity allowing the second identifier to be used to authenticate the first end user with the one of the one or more collaborative applications without the need to use the first identifier when the first end user begins a collaborative session using the one of the one or more collaborative applications.

A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, configure the computing system to perform a method for allowing a network entity to facilitate the creation of a collaborative session between one or more end users and one or more collaborative applications that are associated with the network entity, the method comprising:

• receiving at the network entity from one of the one or more collaborative applications an identifier for one of the one or more end users that is not at least initially associated with the network entity;
• verifying at the network entity that the identifier is linked with an authentication identifier, the authentication identifier being within a recognition domain of the network entity such that the authentication identifier is able to be used by the network entity to verify that the one of the one or more users is permitted to use the one of the one or more collaborative applications;
• and
• in response to verifying that the one or more users is permitted to use the one of the one or more collaborative applications, the network entity sending data to the one of the one or more end users, the data being associated with the identifier, the data allowing the one of the one or more end users to access the one of the one or more collaborative applications to thereby begin a collaborative session in the one of the one or more collaborative applications.