Systems/Enterprise:
SUN ONE SERVER: INDUSTRY'S 1ST
OPEN-STANDARDS GRID SOLUTION
Delivering on its commitment to
customers and the Liberty Alliance
organization, Sun Microsystems Inc
announced the general availability of the
Sun ONE Identity Server 6.0, the
industry's first open-standards based grid
solution.
Increasingly,
organizations require the ability to enable their employees,
business partners
and customers to easily and seamlessly access information
and services via the
Web in a secure, privacy-protected, non-proprietary,
cost-effective manner.
The Sun ONE Identity Server 6.0 provides a standards-based, future-proofed
implementation that leverages Java technology, the
Liberty Alliance, Security
Assertion Markup Language (SAML) and XML
specifications.
By providing
a foundation based on SAML standards, Sun provides a complete
identity and
access management foundation that helps secure the delivery of
business
information today through open standards such as Liberty and provides
organizations with the ability to adapt to changing business requirements. The
Sun ONE Identity Server 6.0 is the first commercial-grade identity management
solution that fully integrates access management, delegated administration,
directory and federation services into a single product. A key component of
Sun's overall identity management solution, it is built on top of the
market-leading Sun ONE Directory Server and leverages the consolidation
capabilities of the Sun ONE Meta Directory.
"Sun's identity and access
management offering helps companies lower
administration costs and improve
security, while enhancing user experience and
strengthening relationships
across their value chains -- all in a
standards-based environment," said
Stephen Pelletier, vice president for
network identity, communication and
portal products at Sun Microsystems. "We
are raising the network identity bar
by being the first to provide the secure
delivery of business information, Web
single sign-on, and federated identity
framework our customers need for their
new partner and customer revenue
opportunities."
The Sun ONE Identity
Server can help to significantly lower enterprise IT
costs through reductions
in application development, security administration
and help desk staffing.
According to Gartner Research, identity and access
management solutions can
provide a three-year return on investment (ROI) in
the triple-digit-percent
range. (ROI Drives Identity and Access Management
Implementation, Gartner Dec.
3, 2002)
A key capability of the Sun ONE Identity Server is the
ability to federate
identities, via either SAML or the Liberty Specification,
both internal and
external to the organization's firewall. Increasingly,
customers are choosing
Sun to provide them with a scalable, highly available
solution that leverages
existing directory and name space investments, while
providing a path forward
to new business ventures.
"Sun has
established a reputation for providing customers with open, reliable,
highly
scalable, multi-platform software for identity services," said Michael
Neuenschwander, senior analyst with the Burton Group. "The combination of its
Solaris distribution channel and the multi-product identity solution position
Sun to compete well against single product vendors, and to provide a more
attractive integrated offering to the marketplace."
In addition, the
Sun ONE platform for network identity has received strong
support from
industry-leading solution providers; an ecosystem of iForce(SM)
Partners
provides additional services, products and expertise to help
customers design
and implement secure, identity-enabled solutions.
"Standards-based
security and network identity are key requirements for Web
applications and
Web services that customers are asking for," said Peter
Gassner, vice
president and general manager, PeopleTools and Technology,
PeopleSoft.
"Standards-based solutions from partners play a key role in
enabling
PeopleSoft applications to be accessed securely. Integration of the
Sun ONE
Identity Server with PeopleSoft 8 applications facilitates the secure
access,
instant retrieval and integration of critical data, anytime and
anywhere."
iForce partners supporting the Sun ONE Platform for Network Identity
include
ActivCard, Business Layers, Inc., Passlogix, PeopleSoft, Persistent
Systems
and Thor Technology, as well as leading Sun integrator alliances and
channel
partners that assist clients with their identity infrastructures:
Burntsand,
Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (CGE&Y), Caveo Technology Group, Dewpoint,
ePresence,
InSolutions, MGS Portal Solutions, Navidec, Perfect Order,
Pricewaterhouse
Coopers LLP, Schlumberger and True North.
The Sun ONE
Identity Server 6.0 integrates the Sun ONE Directory Server and
includes the
following core services:
- Access Management: Delivers single
sign-on for Web-based resources and
centrally controlled access services.
Flexible authentication mechanisms
including LDAP, RADIUS, X.509v3
certificates, SafeWord token cards, and UNIX
platform authentication services.
APIs in C, Java, and XML allow customization
and easy integration for policy,
authentication, auditing/reporting, and
client interfaces.
- Identity
Administration: Provides centralized administration of
identities, policies,
and services. A flexible model of delegation enables
administrators to provide
users with self-administration for management of
their own profile attributes.
N-levels of delegation support organizations by
domain, roles, groups,
applications, or services.
- Federation: These services enable shared
authentication with affiliate
organization Websites and are supported through
the Liberty Alliance and SAML
(Security Assertions Markup Language)
specifications. These specifications
will help establish an open, single
sign-on standard with decentralized
authentication and authorization.
- Service Management: These capabilities help manage configuration data of
external applications and services and provide a solution for customizing and
registering management parameters for external applications, such as
service-delivery via a portal or mail quota on an e-mail server. These
parameters or
attributes are grouped into services that can then be managed
using the Sun
ONE Identity Server.
The Sun ONE Identity Server
6.0 is the latest chapter in a long history of
Sun's network identity
leadership. Sun is also a founding member of the
Liberty Alliance.
http://www.sun.com/software/products/identity_srvr/home_identity.html
The Sun ONE Directory Server is one of the most successful LDAP directory
solutions with over 950 million licenses and growing, and more than 250
million Java technology-based smart cards have been deployed worldwide.
Availability
The Sun ONE Identity Server 6.0 is available
immediately.
About Sun Microsystems Inc
Since its inception
in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The
Computer" -- has propelled
Sun Microsystems, Inc. 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.
http://www.sun.com
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