Application Centric Identity Management

To date, identity management has been treated as a separate management solution to be bolted on to applications after they have been deployed. This is changing.

The next phase in identity management enables management of identities within applications as part of their business process, while preserving the benefits of a centralized identity management system. This next phase is called Application Centric Identity Management.

• Woven-In versus Bolted-On: Security is integrated into applications from the start and not force-fitted on afterwards, ensuring improved security, easier development, and lower administrative costs.
• Standards-based versus Proprietary: An open heterogeneous solution assures interoperability and co-existence with all current and possible future platforms and architectures.
• Integrated Suite versus Point Solutions: A complete out-of-the-box integrated solutions quickens deployments and realizes continued gains in efficiencies and improved user experience.

	"IDC believes that a new phase of identity management is emerging, which weaves the management of user identities directly into the applications themselves so that the service is part of the applications' business processes. This application centric approach to IAM should save organizations significant dollars in integration costs, while increasing security and providing business agility." Sally Hudson Research Manager, Security Products and Services, IDC
		Application Centric Identity Management provides a consistent centralized framework for security policies across business applications, custom developed applications, and SOA-based Web Services.

• Lower Costs and Increased Efficiencies by eliminating process and repository redundancies, and leveraging a common user schema.
• Faster Deployments by having Identity Management deployed as part of application deployments, instead of having to add it on later. In addition, HR system-driven user provisioning enables automatic granting of identity and access at employee creation.
• Improved User Experience through the use of common roles and privileges across applications, as well as a consistent user interface across all identity management modules.