In a technique for authenticating a user submitting a service request from a client to a server, a service agent on the server receives the service request and submits an authentication request to a manager agent. If the user is successfully authenticated, the manager agent transmits a message to the service agent including user authentication information and stores a time-out value establishing a predetermined time period. The service agent stores the user authentication information and shares it with a distributed application which provides the requested service to the user. The manager agent determines whether the predetermined time period has been exceeded before another service request is received at the service agent, and if not then the service agent attempts to authenticate the user using the stored authentication information. Otherwise, the service agent submits another authentication request to the manager agent to authenticate the user.