GM, Boeing Push Identity Management

Computerworld - DENVER -- General Motors Corp. plans to migrate its end-user identity management services to a single global system over the next several years as part of a broad initiative to improve IT efficiency and reduce the automaker's operational costs.
When it's completed, the consolidated identity management system will enable universal application access and single-sign-on capabilities for about 500,000 end users, including GM employees and workers at suppliers, contractors and other business partners, according to Tony Scott, the company's chief technology officer.
The new infrastructure will replace numerous silos of identity information at GM and will play a crucial role in its ongoing move toward a global supply chain and manufacturing model, Scott said at the Digital Identity World conference here last week.
"The supplier and design collaboration we are going to need won't tolerate a world where you have silos of identity [data]," Scott said in an interview prior to delivering his keynote speech.
GM's plan is a prime example of the increased focus some companies are putting on identity and access management as a way of cutting administrative costs and improving end-user access to applications, said Pete Lindstrom, an analyst at Spire Security LLC in Malvern, Pa.
The Boeing Co. is another large user that's in the midst of a long-term effort to give employees, customers and suppliers single-sign-on access to a range of applications and computing services.
Already, Boeing employees can use their corporate log-ons to access information on password-protected Web sites operated by benefits providers, said Michael Beach, an associate technical fellow at the Chicago-based company.
In addition, mechanics at a major airline customer of Boeing can use their regular usernames and passwords to access electronic repair manuals stored on Boeing's internal networks. The aircraft maker is working to extend the capability to other airlines, he said.
The drastically reduced number of end-user accounts that need to be maintained and supported in such a federated identity management infrastructure has resulted in "substantial cost savings" and improved user productivity, according to Beach.
The federated system is built around single-sign-on software from Cupertino, Calif.-based Oblix Inc., although Beach said that Boeing had to do "quite a bit of customization."
Regulatory Pressures
Also playing a key role in driving consolidated identity management projects are new regulations, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, that require companies to get a better handle on their application access-control capabilities, Lindstrom said.
"Regulatory pressures are driving a lot of what's happening in the security space," said Lindstrom. Implementing consistent identity and access management tools can give