Using Identity as a Service

OpenSSO Enterprise enables you to use Identity as a Service in your environment. Identity as a Service is a set of reusable, standardized services that provide applications with identity management. Typically based on the service-oriented architecture (SOA), Identity as a Service is system of discrete functional components of identity management. It is derived from the traditional set of functionally overlapping applications such as authentication, authorization, work flow, policy management, attribute management, provisioning, and password management.

The Identity As A Service environment contains these simplified services and makes them openly available to systems and applications. The services exist independently of one another, but together comprise a foundation of identity services upon which the overall IT environment relies. The primary advantage of Identity as a Service model is that the components can work in an independent fashion, or can be coupled together in the manner of an Enterprise Service Bus. Examples of Identity As a Service include:

• Authentication and Authorization Services

• Provisioning Services

• Taskflow/Workflow Services

• Role Management Services

• Audit Services

Simplifying Deployment and System Administration

Identity As a Service provides both IT and business benefits to enterprises. The IT benefits include:

• Easier Administration

  Performing administrative tasks and adding newer tasks is simplified as appropriate modular components can be invoked with ease.

• Flexible Deployment Architecture

  Allows deployments to effectively unify duplicate code and services and put forth a flexible and unified services.

• Simplified Outsourced and Federated Identity and Access Management

  Allows enterprises to leverage and outsource identity management services to system integrators and partners with core competency in the area.

Business benefits of Identity as a Service include:

• Reduced Operational risk and Maintenance Cost

  The Identity services layer is useful when adding new applications or services to an existing deployment, reconciling different identity management solutions acquired through mergers and acquisitions. It also allows you to centralize various Identity Management functions such as access management, resulting in reduced operational risk.

• Increased compliance

  With all applications using the same set of auditing services, audit log aggregation, and detection of violations of regulatory compliance, rules become easier to manage. With a common policy framework that spans applications, Identity as a Service simplify the management and improves the enforcement of complex segregation of duties policies.

• More Business Insight into Identity Management

  The traditional developer centric nomenclature used in identity management products has long been found hard by common users. With prevalent use of Identity As A Service and easy to use available interfaces, the deployments will be simpler to manage.