---
title: Overview of the SSO flow
description: Description of the SSO flow when using the Akamai Account Protector Integration Kit.
component: akamai
page_id: akamai::pf-akamai-p2-sso-flow-overview
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/integrations/akamai/pf-akamai-p2-sso-flow-overview.html
revdate: March 30, 2026
---

# Overview of the SSO flow

The following description covers the typical sign-on process when using the Akamai Account Protector Integration Kit.

1. A user initiates the sign-on process by requesting access to a protected resource.

2. The Akamai Account Protector IdP Adapter collects and parses the Akamai Account Protector header from the incoming request.

   |   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
   | - | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
   |   | The default request header the adapter looks for is `Akamai-User-Risk`. To change this value, configure the **Akamai Account Protector Header Name** advanced field as described in [Akamai Account Protector IdP Adapter settings reference](setup/pf-akamai-p7-adapter-settings-ref.html). |

3. Based on the threshold values you [configure in the adapter instance](setup/pf-akamai-p6-configuring-an-adapter-instance.html), the adapter evaluates the request and determines a risk level.

   You can then use the resulting risk level and corresponding score to drive authentication policy decisions. Learn more in [Using risk score in the PingFederate authentication policy](setup/pf-akamai-p8-using-score.html).

4. If you select the [**Save Akamai Header**](setup/pf-akamai-p7-adapter-settings-ref.html) checkbox in the adapter configuration, the adapter exposes individually retrieved values as core contract attributes, making them available to use within PingFederate authentication policies.