The result: fewer administrators, fewer expenses and fewer headaches.
“What people wanted was to not have to remember all the passwords.
Not only passwords, but the roles and responsibilities.”
Identity management is the latest security technology to gain popularity in the corporate world–mostly for its efficiencies.
Simplicity, however, can come at a price.
Companies adopt identity management systems to trim costs from a variety of business processes and to reduce potential liabilities.
Access privileges can be set up fast.
The size of a company’s dedicated information technology staff can thus be smaller.
“If you never lose your key, it is a great idea.”
Nevertheless, judging from industry projections, it seems that cost-conscious companies are willing to take the chance.
“It’s the single fastest-growing thing I have, doubling every year,” Duffy said.
“The ability of having a single view of a user across the enterprise is dramatic.”
Not surprisingly, many manufacturers of these technologies are now rebranding themselves as identity management businesses.
Ten percent of companies take more than two weeks.
said Joe Anthony, program director of IBM’s integrated identity management group.
ID management has important uses beyond a company’s rank and file as well.
“Moreover, how often does he get them all right, without making a mistake?”
The adoption of identity management within companies will likely lead to consumer uses as well.
“It really reduces the number of customers that will use the service.”
Still, persuading companies to buy identity management software can be a challenge.
Much of the time, installing a new system entails ripping out custom-made software for handling business processes.
“It’s a little frustrating.”
But as the technology’s advantages become known, Anthony and others say, such obstacles will likely subside.
That’s no longer the case.
“We don’t need to evangelize it anymore,” Ramamurthy said.
“People get it.
It is becoming more and more mainstream.”
Large corporations and smaller boutique security companies have targeted the identity management market.
Its IdentityMinder product helps administrators add, modify and delete user information Web applications and internal networks use.
SiteMinder communicates with Web applications to regulate access to corporate data.
OblixThe company’s NetPoint software manages the identities of employees and customers.
NetPoint is designed to enable easy record modification, single sign-on and group-based access.
The software can be used for both Web sites and internal networks.
The directory software holds identity data.
Tivoli Identity Manager lets administrators manage that data, and Tivoli Access Manager enforces user identity-based security.
MicrosoftThe software giant’s Active Directory data server holds identity and access information.
RSA SecurityRSA is basing its identity management software around the secure-access technologies for which the company is known.
