Earl Perkins

IT management is finding that decisions about infrastructure for authentication, authorization, user provisioning, and other identity-related concerns are driving fundamental changes in the organizations that plan, build, and run the infrastructure.

Web services demand renewed focus on the way application-level security concerns are addressed, combining traditional forms of authentication and authorization access with new approaches to ensuring transport integrity and securing exposed processes.

Speech Application Language Tags (SALT) and VoiceXML represent two approaches from different directions to developing voice-enabled Web applications. Research from the META Group Inc. suggests that although SALT addresses capabilities lacking in VoiceXML, it is the forum of introduction that generates unnecessary user confusion and delay in providing next-generation development environments.

Microsoft Active Directory is a critical infrastructure component for delivering enterprise identity and security-related services. Successful implementations require a focused approach for design and consistent application of basic best-practice principles, according to META Group.

Application networkability assessments are becoming more important than ever. Rules for delivering applications are fundamentally changing, requiring modifications to existing infrastructure due to increased performance and security requirements, according to META Group.

Microsoft Active Directory deployments have not occurred at the pace anticipated by either Microsoft or enterprise users. Nevertheless, the deployments are beginning to have significant impact on enterprise strategies for applications access and identity management, according to META Group.

Identity infrastructures and authentication services are beginning to evolve at several levels in response to renewed security concerns and expanded business requirements. As a result, the responsibilities of infrastructure caretakers will change and expand, predicts the META Group.