Catalyst show report: Directories leading the charge to simplify networks

LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Directories are beginning to mature into critical pieces of the enterprise infrastructure and will become the foundation for electronic commerce and network security. And corporations that ignore the trend are ripe for acquisition or extinction, according to conclusions reached at the recent Burton Group Catalyst Conference in Lake Tahoe.

"The more logically whole, not necessarily physically whole, users can make their networks the better they'll be at establishing manageable relationships with people, groups and organizations," said Burton Group President Jamie Lewis.

The goal is to build a Virtual Enterprise Network, which leverages directory and security technology to tie internal and external users to systems, data and applications based on rules and policies, Lewis said.

A cornerstone of the virtual network is the general-purpose directory that simplifies user, resource and systems management; provides a consistent set of data across an organization; and supports Web-based and distributed applications across the intranet and extranet. The directory also is a necessity for public-key infrastructure (PKI) deployments.

The problem today is that many enterprises have a smorgasbord of directories that serve up data in different formats and lack synchronization. Also, PKI technology remains immature and difficult to deploy.

While the promise of the general-purpose directory is years away, construction of the infrastructure must begin now, according to Burton analyst Gary Rowe.

End-users are grasping the reality and attempting to assess the benefits of building that infrastructure, which likely will consist of a metadirectory that interconnects standards-based and legacy directories.

"The directory is fundamental infrastructure in that it houses profiles of our customers," says Riva Ramakrishnan, director of global messaging and technical support services for APL Limited, a shipping company based in Oakland, Calif. "But it is a huge cost to have our customers in our directory, so we have to make sure security and electronic commerce benefits support the investment."

According to Lewis, economics as well as technology drive the need for directories.

A major enterprise issue is relationship management, which determines which users can access what resources, and how and when systems work together. And most important, perhaps, is the management of business-to-business network relationships such as those for electronic commerce.

Lewis says today's infrastructures are too rigid and must become more flexible. The keys to that flexibility are standards such as the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol and Extensible Markup Language, and interoperability provided by metadirectory technology that vendors are scrambling to include in their products.

"What users need to focus on is building adaptable infrastructure," he says.

The flexibility provided by that infrastructure will not only provide companies with tighter internal systems, but with the ability to support unique relationships with individual business partners and customers.

Contact Senior Editor John Fontana

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