Sun collaborates with ActivIdentity; RSA unveils latest federation server

Two of the big boys in identity management – Sun and RSA Security – have made major announcements recently, and they deserve some attention.

Sun, both in its own right (through its ownership of iPlanet) and through its acquisition of Waveset (and what it did with those technologies and people), has long been one of the three major players in identity management – alongside RSA and IBM.

RSA is the kingpin in security, and has managed to put together a very complete identity portfolio to complement its traditional offerings. Whenever either company says or does something, it’s important that the rest of us listen.

Sun has joined forces with ActivIdentity (formerly ActivCard) to combine Sun’s Java System Identity Management Suite with ActivIdentity’s Card Management System (CMS) and SecureLogin Single Sign-On software. This not only combines logical security and physical security on the same platform but also eases the adoption of multi-factor systems with the capability of automating the issuing (and revoking) of so-called “smart cards” during an organization’s normal provisioning and de-provisioning process. See the news story by Network World’s John Fontana for more details, then head to Sun’s Web site for the latest on Sun’s Java Identity Management Suite.

RSA, meanwhile, has announced RSA Federated Identity Manager 3.0, a new and improved version of its federation server, due to ship by mid-year. Version 3.0’s new features include:

* Certified as ‘Liberty Alliance Interoperable’ for SAML 2.0.

* A brand new GUI, a completely redesigned Web browser-based GUI.

* New tools for prototyping and testing federated connections internally, or with SAML 2.0-based partners.

* Integration with an expanded range of Web application servers, increasing architectural flexibility.

Federation services are suddenly hot after being pushed to the backburner by the need to implement compliance enforcement and monitoring. RSA’s product isn’t the only federation server but this new version does look like one you should pay attention to. Head over to RSA’s Web site for all the details.

In other news, it was just announced that there will be another Internet Identity Workshop this spring. Last fall’s get-together was an early sellout, so if you’re at all interested in personal, grass-roots, ground-up identity you’ll want to be at the Computer Museum in Mountain View, Calif., on May 1-3. Head to workshop’s site for the details and registration information.