Although CentraSite maintains its own database of user accounts, it authenticates users externally, either through the local operating system or an external directory service such as Active Directory or a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server. Because authentication is handled by an external facility, it is not necessary for CentraSite to maintain its own set of user passwords. Password management is handled by your organization's existing authentication system.

By default, CentraSite is configured to authenticate users against the local operating system. While this configuration is adequate for initial experimentation and demonstration, it is generally not suitable for an enterprise-wide implementation of CentraSite. When you deploy CentraSite for actual use within your enterprise, you will need to configure it to authenticate users against a production-quality authentication service such as Active Directory or an LDAP server. Moreover, you should complete this configuration step before you begin creating organizations and setting up users, groups and roles.