No… this isn’t an April fool’s joke. Instead this is an actual news item that hit the ticker today. Link
To me this announcement is a little funny. After all, Microsoft first started integrating Kerberos support into their operating systems with Windows 2000. That version of Windows was released over 8 years ago! So, in my opinion, this move by Microsoft is a little late.
Then again, not to downplay the significance of the announcement, this is a wonderful move by Microsoft. Oddly enough they are continuing a trend in which there is an appearance to be working with Open Source communities in developing and supporting standards. For myself, I really hope this isn’t a house of mirrors. After all, Microsoft’s embracement of Kerberos (or a form of it at the time) as the default authentication method for Active Directory (circa 2000) was the driving force for its growth as a used standard.
So, if their show of support (for standardization) is just a ploy to force hands… then it could really damage the usage of certain standards. But… and I’m drooling when I think about this. If Microsoft is really serious about playing nice and bringing down the walled gardens. The impact of such a move could be enormous within IT organizations that are just buried trying to manage their disconnected silos of technology.
Stay tuned… this could be big.
BTW – I will be at the RSA conference next week (just one day) scoping things out and meeting some of the vendors. If anyone is interested in anything in particular… post a comment. If I’m feeling randy… I may just go on a fact finding mission for you.
