Topping the list, HP is offering early access to Select Federation 6.5, adding support of SAML 2.0 (it already supports SAML 1.1 and Liberty), and will add more granular privacy settings drilling down to specific transactions, partners, or incidents (access can be granted on a one-time basis).
Additionally, settings can selectively prohibit outside entities from retaining data after the transaction is complete. Previously, the settings could be turned off or on by administrators only, based on Liberty Alliance specifications. The new version of Select Federation for the first time grants access to end users to set privacy controls. Offered as beta right now, HP plans general release sometime in Q4.
For now, HP’s standards strategy is to support Liberty and SAML, both of which converged specs with SAML 2.0. With the exception of WS-Federation, HP is not supporting the WS-* (pronounced WS-Star) series of federated identity standards promoted by Microsoft.
At this point, we don’t consider WS-* as standards, said Sai Allavarpu, director of product management and marketing for HP’s Security and Identity Management Solutions. At this point, WS-* standards governing identity management have not yet been submitted to any standards bodies.
HP is also adding some new flexibility for the workflows used for granting access in Select Identity 3.3, which is now available for general release. It adds features that allow users to register for services that are not yet in production, a feature that could come in handy for media and entertainment companies or any other consumer marketing firm seeking to grant customers advance access to new offerings.
Additionally, HP is making it easier to designate alternates for granting approvals in the event that the assigned person is absent or otherwise not available.
Additionally, HP and Citrix are announcing the first fruits of their recently announced partnership, enabling Citrix Password manager to access HP’s Select Identity directory, which is maintained either in a relational database or a thin LDAP directory.
The move, intended to promote single sign on between the Windows applications that Citrix typically controls, and web or other enterprise applications that would be governed under HP’s access control suites.
Although this links both products, this is not a federated identity system, since access goes only one way, from Citrix to HP. The new Select Identity-Citrix password manager single sign-on links are available now.
