IBM and Novell are joining forces to launch an
open-source identity management system to rival Microsoft’s
forthcoming InfoCard identity management technology.
InfoCard will be bundled with Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows
Vista operating system, and with Windows XP.
IBM and Novell, along with the Berkman Center for Internet &
Society at Harvard Law School and others are launching the Higgins
Project.
The initiative aims to help users manage their various internet
log-ins and passwords by integrating identity, profile and
relationship information used across different authentication
systems on the web.
The open-source project will be managed by identity management
standards organisation the Eclipse Foundation.
The Higgins Project will build a product that can also integrate
with Microsoft’s InfoCard platform, which is geared towards
Windows-based environments.
Higgins is being built to support all operating environments.
Microsoft has been invited to participate in the Higgins
Project.