SOA & Identity or Identity as SaaS?

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SOA & Identity or Identity as SaaS?

Within the 5 sessions happening at the same time at DIDW 2007. While the session about SOA & Identity got approximately 25 + attendees, the “Identity as a Service-Is IdM as SaaS here?” by Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Department of Justice. Well given the Department of Justice is talking about it, I think that would be a very interesting talk. I would say the other 3 sessions were pretty thin as well when I took a quick look.

Justin’s talk was very much focused on BizTalk Services. But they keynote from this morning gave him a very much of a head start as to the level of interest generated by people wanting to attend. I mean after all, it’s really cool seeing a Lego Mindstorm robot working with CardSpace and a Service in a cloud handling Identity.

I wonder what the Department of Justice would say about the demo from this morning, being able to ask someone performing certain tasks being considered as malicious to identify themselves perhaps using a Managed card is a pretty interesting scenario I think.

Justin then came the most talked about topic since Burton Catalyst and even prior, “Identity Metasystem.” So what happens when you bring Identity Metasystem, talk about WS*, Interop and BizTalk Services? Well claims transformation interoperabley (HAH! Now I’m creating words). What does that mean? Really I would say the same thing that happens every time you take your Credit Card and go shopping from one store to another. (I know as a woman I really enjoy this process of shopping) but really I am talking about an identity that is recognized by all the stores, my Credit Card. What Justin is saying here is now we are able to have interoperable identity for all sites/applications using WS* standards. Then he showed the demo which was part of Kim Cameron’s keynote where a lego Mindstorm Robot, a Xbox 360 controller, BizTalk Services and CardSpace, only this time the demo failed partially. It got a few chuckles.

Thru the day on the conference floor most questions revolved around What is CardSpace and how does it work. Most people have heard about CardSpace but don’t really understand what it does. This was also clear in Justin’s “SOA & Identity talk with BizTalk Services” when he was asked to explain CardSpace and how it works.