Microsoft releases Identity Integration Server

Carol Sliwa   Today’s Top Stories   or  Other Servers Stories  

Gain a faster, cheaper way to manage workload Server Management: The tried and true vendors vs. the new-idea startups Blades: fast growing and incompatible Business Transaction Management: Facilitating the Management of Virtual Environments Transformational Analytics: Virtualizing IT Environments Virtualization Analysis for VMware Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT SaaS Solutions for Remote Systems Management Learn-Fast Guide: Software as a Service is Growing Up Sign up to receive Servers Resource Alerts

July 2, 2003 (Computerworld) -- Microsoft Corp. says that the Identity Integration Server 2003 it released to manufacturing today represents more than just a name change for the product, which was formerly known as Metadirectory Services 2003.
Microsoft Identity Information Server (MIIS) 2003 goes beyond the functionality of a traditional metadirectory by adding features such as automatic account provisioning and password management to its existing ability to integrate user identity information across multiple account stores running on different systems, said Michael Stephenson, a lead product manager at Microsoft.
"This is a major revision to the product," said Jamie Lewis, CEO and research chair at Burton Group in Midvale, Utah. "They have started to build in the foundation for provisioning and password-management capabilities that increase the functionality of the product. It's something the whole market is doing. Directory and metadirectory services are evolving into a broader set of identity management tools and services."
Chicago-based law firm Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman, which has about 1,600 employees, has already begun to see benefits from the new functionality since it began deploying a release candidate of the product in late May, according to application development manager Alexander Diaz. Diaz said the firm began using Microsoft Metadirectory Services (MMS) with the goal of single entry for basic employee information, such as name, department and location, in some 20 different systems. The capabilities in the old MMS product were limited, he said.
"The previous system used a proprietary Web store for the metadirectory information. The new product leverages SQL Server, so it scales a lot more than the previous version," Diaz said. "You can store a lot more information, and you can deploy a lot more connectors without running into the limitation on the directory store. Because it's using the SQL back end as its data store and they redesigned the whole identity server, the server itself outperforms the old one."
Diaz said he also likes the fact that with MIIS, he can now use Microsoft programming languages, such as Visual Basic and C#, to provision accounts and extend capabilities to other Windows application programming interfaces (API). He can, for example, use Visual Basic .Net to access the Windows APIs to create user home directories and the necessary security to prevent unauthorized users from accessing them. Diaz said he can also write directly to APIs in a network fax application that the company uses, and more efficiently handle the renaming of accounts.
"Some of those things had to be handled manually by administrators in the past," Diaz said. "I'm eliminating a lot of the tedious, mundane tasks that are repetitive in nature."
He said connectors to non-Microsoft systems such as Lotus

Continued...
1 | 2 | NEXT  

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"Reseller's team has just installed a new mainframe for this client, and the senior systems tech is justly proud that..." Read more... "Cisco and PostPath will finally break Exchange's iron grasp on business e-mail...." Read more... Read more Servers & Data Center posts or See all Blogs

Cellular operators say they're ready for Gustav Psystar calls Apple a 'monopoly' in antitrust charges Doubt cast on Seinfeld as Windows TV ads near More top stories...

IT workers hit hardest by offshore outsourcing, survey finds Microsoft: No more Windows Live Mail crashes with IE8 Beta 2 Microsoft warns of IE8 lock-in with XP SP3

Telecommuting: 6 questions to ask before you say yes Telework can change office dynamics in ways you hadn't anticipated. Proceed cautiously. Wi-Fi tweaks for speed freaks Got a painfully slow connection or random dead spots? Our tips will help you get the most out of your wireless network. 5 ways to drive your best workers out the door Listen up, managers: Employees don't quit the job; they quit you. Ultraportable laptops: Their rise and possible fall Netbooks, ultraportables, mini-notebooks — whatever you call them, they've been grabbing headlines. Are they here for the long term or just a flash in the pan? Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland Security Apple's iPhone Ask a Premier 100 IT Leader Bill Gates steps down BlackBerry Legal Battle Data Security Breaches Electronic Voting Firefox H-1B Visas HP's Boardroom Scandal Handheld Devices Hurricane Katrina Aftermath Microsoft Legal Issues Microsoft's Vista Open Source RFID Technology SCO's Linux Fight Sarbanes-Oxley Act Spam Voice Over IP Wi-Fi Windows Meta File Vulnerability Windows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class 2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2006 Salary Survey 2007 Best Places to Work in IT 2007 IT Forecast 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders 40 Years of Computerworld ASPs, Take Two Best Places to Work in IT 2003 Best Places to Work in IT 2004 Best Places to Work in IT 2005 Best Places to Work in IT 2006 Business Intelligence Home Runs Business Intelligence: Smarter BI Business Intelligence: The Future of BI CRM Goes Vertical CRM: Sober CRM Career Planning Guide 2005 Careers: IT Profession 2010 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005 Data Management: Mining for Gems Data Management: Taming Data Chaos Development: Hard-Workin' Web Sites Development: New Tools New Choices Development: The New World of Application Development Development: The Web Services Tsunami Development: Web Services Hurdles Disaster Recovery: Preparing for the Worst E-commerce Grows Up E-mail/Groupware: Big Decisions Faces of Mobile IT Forecast 2006 Global Mobile Hardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple Challenges Hardware: On-Demand Un-Hyped Hardware: The Shape of Things to Come Horizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Technologies IT Management: Guide to Managing Vendors IT Management: Navigating Global IT IT Management: Recovery Ahead IT Management: The Future of IT IT Management: The Resourceful Project Manager Innovative Technology Awards 2004 Management: Reinventing IT Microsoft in Transition Mobile/Wireless Leaders and Laggards Mobile/Wireless: The Untethered Worker Mobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge Costs Network Management: Taking Control Networking: Turbulence Ahead! Networking: VoIP Goes Mainstream Operating Systems: In the Slow Lane Operating Systems: Linux Goes Global Operating Systems: Should You Nix Unix? Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's Guide Outsourcing: Outsourcing Dangers Premier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in Class Premier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in Class ROI: Do the Math! Salary Survey 2003 Salary Survey 2004 Salary Survey 2005 Security Action Plan Security: Compliance Headaches Security: Proactive Security Security: Risk and Reward Security: Tips From Security Pros Souped-up Security Storage: Battling Complexity Storage: Cheap & Secure Data Stores Storage: Stretching Your Storage Dollars Storage: The Lean Storage Machine Storage: The New Rules of Storage Storage: The Ultimate Backup Guide Supply Chain: Missing Links Supply Chain: RFID Reality Check The Business of Security Web 2.0 Security Wireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone The File Data Management Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone Windows Protection Zone Identity & Security Management Zone See your link here

Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT (Source: Computerworld) Whether it's in the front office or the server room, green thinking can save energy, trees and money. From the Editorial Staff at Computerworld, here's the latest thinking on greening your operations. Download this executive briefing  Embracing Innovation - The Business Case for PC Blades Embracing Innovation - The Business Case for PC Blades Watch this webcast now! Go to the webcast  Virtualization Everywhere Download this white paper, free, compliments of Citrix. (Source: Citrix) Adoption of virtualization is concentrated among large enterprises, while adoption by mid-sized companies has been much slower. For these companies, the cost and complexity of server virtualization solutions has been a barrier. In this paper, we'll discuss how Citrix XenServer" provides simple, economical server virtualization for any size company. Download now! Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Archiving Compliance with Sunbelt Exchange Archiver The Impact of Messaging and Web Threats Advanced Load Balancing: 8 Things You Need to Handle Today's Network Traffic View more whitepapers

• Cellular operators say they're ready for Gustav
• IT workers hit hardest by offshore outsourcing, survey finds
• Psystar calls Apple a 'monopoly' in antitrust charges
• More top stories 

SQL Anywhere Developer Edition Download SQL Anywhere is the industry-leading mobile and embedded database. Designed for database-powered applications that operate in frontline environments without onsite IT support, SQL Anywhere offers enterprise-caliber features in a database that is easily embedded and widely deployed in server, desktop, remote office and mobile applications. Download the free SQL Anywhere Developer Edition

Intercept Spam & Viruses With MessageLabs MessageLabs is offering a complimentary 30 day trial of its managed Anti-virus and Anti-spam security solutions. MessageLabs guarantees complete protection against all know and unknown email threats. By providing 24 hour support, your business can increase productivity and decrease risk. Register for a complimentary trial and receive a free datasheet. Download this white paper now!