The Identity Metasystem offers a new way to think about the relationship between parties that are interested in either consuming or producing identity information. Sometimes this is referred to as Identity 2.0, or more correctly as User Centric Identity. This new paradigm offers many benefits, from increased security, enhanced privacy, and the opportunity for new business models. It is sometimes misinterpreted as a technology that nullifies the current identity practices that many enterprises have in place. This is most likely due to the technical nature of most literature available on User Centric Identity, and on the focus of standards and interoperability. But it could not be farther from the truth.
What is really important about the Identity Metasystem is that it defines an “Identity Dial Tone” that prescribes how identity can flow seamlessly through enterprise websites, web services, and the ever growing social networking and collaboration services, spanning both high and low trust situations. For the potential opportunity of this new ecosystem to thrive, it is important that it is embraced and delivered to enterprise customers in a way that allows them to incorporate the concepts in their existing infrastructures, without the fear that large portions of the solutions will need to be replaced or significantly modified.
CA and Microsoft are committed to the Identity Metasystem and on helping customers realize the benefits of the Identity Metasystem, while protecting their current investments. To focus the discussion on business objectives, and less on technical practices, CA and Microsoft have jointly developed a White paper “CA and Microsoft Support for User-Centric Identity and the Identity Metasystem” that describes the Identity Metasystem, InfoCards and how they can be incorporated into existing solutions where CA and Microsoft technologies are being used.