Which of the following statements about SAML is true?

The statement that SAML is an open standard for data exchange is accurate. Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is indeed an open standard that facilitates the exchange of authentication and authorization data between parties, particularly between an identity provider and a service provider. This allows users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple services without needing to log in separately for each one, a concept known as Single Sign-On (SSO).

SAML's primary function is to enable web-based, cross-domain single sign-on capabilities, allowing for interoperability across different organizations' systems. It is widely used in many web service implementations because it provides a standardized way to communicate identity information securely.

The other statements do not correctly describe SAML. It is not limited to a single organization; it can operate across multiple organizations (cross-domain authentication). Additionally, SAML is not a proprietary system developed by Esri; it is an open standard defined by the OASIS consortium. Lastly, implementing SAML does not necessarily require complex hardware. Organizations can implement it using standard web technologies, making it accessible for various environments regardless of hardware capability.