Microsoft has revamped its Meta Directory product and
renamed it Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003.
In conjunction with its new offering, Microsoft also introduced
"Identity and Access Management Solution Accelerator", a set of
prescriptive guidelines created with Pricewaterhouse Coopers to
help customers build and test identity management
infrastructures.
Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS) improves upon Meta
Directory Server through the addition of features including
automated account provisioning, the synchronisation of identity
information, and web-based, self-service password management
capabilities, said Michael Stevenson, lead product manager for
Windows Server Division.
As part of its fledgling identity management strategy, Microsoft
rolled out offerings for Windows Server 2003, which will appear by
the end of the third quarter.
For customers wanting a directory service to provide
application-specific information toward applications developed
in-house, Microsoft announced its Active Directory in Application
Mode (Adam). Stevenson said Adam would allow customers to deploy
Active Directory as a LDAP directory service for
application-specific data while using their distributed Active
Directory infrastructure for single-sign-on.
Windows Server 2003 will also include the Identity Integration
Feature Pack for Windows Server Directory, and Directory Services
Mark-up Language version 2.0 (DSML v.2). The added capabilities
will let developers represent directory structural information and
directory operations as XML documents.
Microsoft will introduce Microsoft Audit Collection System in
the fourth quarter of 2003. A key component of Microsoft's identity
management strategy, the product will enable customers to
consolidate security event logs into a single location to offer
intelligence capable of identifying a users' access. Microsoft
will also announce support and partnerships for Microsoft Identity
Platform.
Partnerships with Oblix and OpenNetworks Technologies will help
extend Microsoft's reach to cross-platform levels.
Oblix said that its NetPoint identity management software would
fully support Microsoft's identity management architecture
including Active Directory and the MIIS 2003 product. Oblix's
NetPoint product enables user data stored in Active Directory to be
used for enterprise-wide identity management on corporate intranets
and extranets.
OpenNetwork Technologies is offering support for MIIS via
OpenNetwork's Universal Identity Platform (IdP) 5.0. If customers
build their infrastructure within a pure .net environment, IdP uses
Adam and MIIS for back-end integration to the mainframe.
Brian Fonseca and Paul Roberts write for IDG News
Service