Sun Microsystems has announced that its Java System Identity Server is the first commercial product from a software platform vendor to support the Liberty Alliance Phase 2 specifications.
As a founding member of the Liberty Alliance Project, which provides specifications for identity management that results in better and more convenient security, Sun is expanding the functionality of the Sun Java System Identity Server which it says is a key component of the Java Enterprise System.
"This further enables the deployment and adoption of secure and federated identity-based Web services to fixed and mobile users' devices," says Lodewyk de Beer, solutions architect at Sun Microsystems SA.
He notes that open standards are fundamental to the development of secure, federated identity solutions and Web services.
"Identity is a critical component for secure delivery and deployment of the network services that help businesses to gain competitive advantage in an ever-changing marketplace," says De Beer.
"Expanding on our support for the Liberty Alliance specifications will help organisations deliver mobility with security - the right services to the right people at the right time on any device."
It's becoming clear that users are increasingly requiring anytime, anywhere access.
"Different people using many different methods such as PCs, kiosks, personal digital assistants and mobile devices to gain access to many different IT resources. 'Need to know' service providers and vendors can produce the necessary products and services to make this flexibility available and affordable," says Earl Perkins, vice-president of security and risk strategies at META Group.
"Any provider that can deliver a secure, non-proprietary and economical platform to do this has a good chance of being successful in the identity market."
The Liberty Phase 2 specifications are critical for an effective federated identity infrastructure. Expanding upon the Phase 1 specifications, which allow for cross-domain single sign-on, the new specifications add support for cross-domain attribute exchange and a foundation for Liberty-based Web services.
A federated identity architecture allows an authenticated identity to take part in targeted Web services from multiple organisations or Web domains that have business agreements in place. This brings greater efficiencies for employee identity management, creates new market and revenue opportunities between business partners, and increases the end-user's control over identity information while facilitating their access to valuable Web services.
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Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision - "The Network Is The Computer" - has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.
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