Press Release
September 8, 2005
"Digital Identity": Planning and Creating an Identity Management Architecture
Sebastopol, CA--The rise of network-based, automated services in the past
decade has definitely changed the way businesses operate, and not always
for the better. Offering services, conducting transactions, and moving
data on the Web opens new opportunities, but many CTOs and CIOs are more
concerned with the risks. Like the rulers of medieval cities, they've
adopted a siege mentality, building walls to keep the bad guys out. It
makes for a secure perimeter, but hampers the flow of commerce.
Fortunately, some corporations are beginning to rethink how they provide
security, so that interactions with customers, employees, partners, and
suppliers will be richer and more flexible. Digital Identity (O'Reilly,
US $34.95) by Phillip J. Windley explains how to go about it. Drawing on
his experience as CTO of iMall, Inc., VP of product development for
Excite@Home, and CIO in Governor Michael Leavitt's administration in Utah,
Windley provides a rich, real-world view of the concepts, issues, and
technologies behind a key concept known as "identity management
architecture" (IMA).
According to Windley, IMA is a method to provide ample protection against
malicious attacks while giving good guys access to vital information and
systems. In today's service-oriented economy, digital identity is
critical: it provides a set of standards, policies, certifications, and
management activities that enable companies to manage digital identity
effectively--not just as a security check, but as a way to extend services
and pinpoint the needs of customers.
The ATM machine is one of Windley's favorite examples of the way digital
identity increases business. "Before ATMs were invented, a bank's
customers took care of their banking needs by presenting pieces of paper
to a human teller," recalls Windley. The papers included instructions to
the bank, cash, checks, and other financial instruments. Unless the teller
personally knew the customer, the customer also presented some kind of
identity credential, such as a driver's license, that allowed the teller
to verify the customer's identity and proceed with the transaction. "The
ATM was possible only because banks created a means of identifying their
customers digitally," explains Windley. "With the advent of a digital
identity infrastructure, banks no longer needed a human in the loop to
verify the customer's identity, allowing them to provide around-the-clock
access to banking in a broad range of convenient locations.
In the foreword to the book, Jamie Lewis, CEO and research chair for the
Burton Group, reflects on the importance of digital identity in the
virtual world:
"The societal mores, legal structures, and commonly accepted business
practices that govern everyday life in the physical world have evolved
over thousands of years, and that evolution continues every day. But now
we're in the process of translating those structures to the Internet,
creating a new place where people can interact. That 'place' is radically
different from the physical world, one where networked applications
combine with ubiquitous connectivity to free transactions, communications,
and other activities from physical constraints, thus, creating an entirely
new set of activities."
Lewis adds, "When it comes to enabling a truly virtual world that can
accommodate the breadth and depth of human endeavor, nothing is more
important than identity."
Windley likens IMA to good city planning: cities define uses and design
standards to ensure that buildings and city services are consistent and
workable. In Digital Identity, CIOs, other IT professionals, product
managers, and programmers will learn how security planning can support
their business goals and opportunities, rather than holding them at bay.
Additional Resources:
Digital Identity
Phillip J. Windley
ISBN: 0-596-00878-3, 234 pages, $34.95 US, $48.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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