* Oblix severs ties with MIIS Alliance after being bought by Oracle
When Oracle acquired Oblix a couple of months ago, I speculated on what might happen to the Oblix seat in the MIIS Alliance (see “What will Oracle do with the MIIS Alliance?” link below). MIIS is the Microsoft Identity Integration Server, a meta-directory service that’s currently available as a stand-alone product, but with the shipment of Windows Server 2003 R2 late this year, will be “in the box” with shipping Windows servers.
The MIIS Alliance was formed last spring by NetPro, Oblix, Oxford Computer Group, PointBridge and Vintela.
I speculated that Oracle’s Larry Ellison could have a problem being in a group whose aim was to promote Microsoft products and technologies, and it appears I was right. Last week the Alliance announced “…the recent decision by Oblix to resign from the group in the wake of its acquisition by Oracle Corporation.”
The Alliance also announced two new members: Naksia, a player in the field of human capital management (HCM), which appears to go beyond human resources into lifecycle management of employees, partners, vendors and more, and RSA Security, hardly a niche player in the authentication, authorization and audit business.
Neither of these new members, by the way, are exclusively Microsoft, Active Directory or MIIS partners. Both see MIIS as an important tool, but not the only tool, to further identity management, security and regulatory compliance in the enterprise. It’s a very good sign for the Alliance that the group can attract such high-powered members.
Founding member Vintela was also recently acquired by Quest Software, as I mentioned last week. I don’t expect, though, that the company will give up its seat in the Alliance, except to change the name to its new parent. Quest is a longtime Microsoft partner and will probably welcome the opportunity to foster growth of the products it inherited through the Vintela buy. Jackson Shaw, Vintela VP of product marketing and former big chief of Active Directory at Microsoft, spent all of his time at Microsoft working with MIIS (formerly called Microsoft Metadirectory Server) since joining Gates & Co., through Microsoft’s 1999 acquisition of Zoomit Technology, maker of MIIS’ predecessor the VIA metadirectory.
Now if only the MIIS Alliance would actually do something.
