* Common definition for identification terms Identity, identifiers, roles, rules, groups, personas – overlapping and inter-related concepts which, even among those of us in the identity management arena, can be confusing. Definitions of words can shift faster than a sand dune in a windstorm. The only way to quickly and efficiently move to where identity management becomes a reality rather than a goal is to first agree on the meaning of the terms we use to describe the reality and those goals.Ed Harrington is CEO and principal consultant at EPH and Associates, a business consultancy in Northern Virginia. At least, that’s one of Ed’s personas. He’s also chair of the Open Group’s Directory Interoperability Forum (DIF), and it is in that persona that he recently contacted me.One of DIF’s major goals is to foster directory interoperability through the use of common terminology. Problems result when I refer to something as a “shovel,” you call it a “trencher” and the bozo across the table refers to the same tool as a “scoop.” If we all agree to call a spade a “spade,” then we cut through a lot of rhetoric and misunderstanding and can get down to the real nitty-gritty.Harrington proposes that we create a taxonomy for identity management. Although he doesn’t refer to the Tower of Babel, the allusion is present when he says: “today we have numerous organizations and vendors preaching different terminology…which just leads to confusion on the part of the user (and the marketing operations of the vendors). This needs clarification.” As a start towards developing this taxonomy, Ed suggests a specific hierarchical relationship for the terms “identity,” “persona” and role.” As he explains it: At the top is Identity – “A constant that cannot change. In the past it was validated by my fingerprints, today it is validated by my DNA.”Next is Persona – “An application of my identity to a broad situation – my office persona, my parenting persona or whatever. It applies my identity to a specific situation. This is often referred to as a “role,” but I think this is incorrect in that a persona may have multiple roles.” Next, then, would be Role – “A specific application within a persona. In my office persona, I may have a manager role, a mentor role, an employee role, etc. In my parenting persona I may be a disciplinarian or possibly a “buddy,” and so on.”Turn this around, so that “Identity” is at the bottom, and it’s almost an object oriented description with each persona inheriting characteristics from its various roles and the Identity being the sum of the multiple personas its derived from.These definitions do need some work, but for now I’ll use them in this way whenever we talk about these concepts. You should talk amongst yourselves to try to refine these relationships and definitions. But do keep me informed and I’ll spread the word to everyone else. Related content news analysis Cisco joins $10M funding round for Aviz Networks' enterprise SONiC drive Investment news follows a partnership between the vendors aimed at delivering an enterprise-grade SONiC offering for customers interested in the open-source network operating system. By Michael Cooney Dec 01, 2023 3 mins Network Management Software Industry Networking news Cisco CCNA and AWS cloud networking rank among highest paying IT certifications Cloud expertise and security know-how remain critical in building today’s networks, and these skills pay top dollar, according to Skillsoft’s annual ranking of the most valuable IT certifications. Demand for talent continues to outweigh s By Denise Dubie Nov 30, 2023 7 mins Certifications Network Security Networking news Mainframe modernization gets a boost from Kyndryl, AWS collaboration Kyndryl and AWS have expanded their partnership to help enterprise customers simplify and accelerate their mainframe modernization initiatives. By Michael Cooney Nov 30, 2023 4 mins Mainframes Cloud Computing Data Center news AWS and Nvidia partner on Project Ceiba, a GPU-powered AI supercomputer The companies are extending their AI partnership, and one key initiative is a supercomputer that will be integrated with AWS services and used by Nvidia’s own R&D teams. By Andy Patrizio Nov 30, 2023 3 mins CPUs and Processors Generative AI Supercomputers Podcasts Videos Resources Events NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe