User authentication in a cloud environment

One or more computer hardware storage device having stored computer-executable instructions that are executable by one or more processor of a computing system for implementing the following:

• receiving one or more authentication credentials from a user at the client computing system to authenticate the user to a remote application provisioning service that provides virtual machine-hosted remote applications;
• sending the received authentication credentials to an authentication service, the authentication service being configured to generate an encrypted token based on the received authentication credentials;
• receiving the generated encrypted token from the authentication service;
• storing the received encrypted token and the received authentication credentials in a data store;
• and
• sending the encrypted token and the authentication credentials to a virtual machine that is hosting a particular application prior to the particular application being instantiated for the user, the encrypted token being used with the authentication credentials to facilitate a logon at the virtual machine.

A computer-implemented method for authenticating a user to a remote application provisioning service, the method comprising the following:

• receiving one or more authentication credentials from a user at the client computing system to authenticate the user to a remote application provisioning service that provides virtual machine-hosted remote applications;
• sending the received authentication credentials to an authentication service, the authentication service being configured to generate an encrypted token based on the received authentication credentials;
• receiving the generated encrypted token from the authentication service;
• storing the received encrypted token and the received authentication credentials in a data store;
• and
• sending the encrypted token and the authentication credentials to a virtual machine that is hosting a particular application prior to the particular application being instantiated for the user, the encrypted token being used with the authentication credentials to facilitate a logon at the virtual machine.