Web Services Strategies
Beyond the technology, IT strategies for implementation of Web services by Doug Kaye.
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On Liberty. I still haven't had time to read the Liberty Alliance 1.0 specification, but I am trying to follow the opinions of others. Here's a sampling so far:
- As Editor of Digital Identity World, Phil Becker is part of the pro-identity universe, so it's no surprise that he's excited about the potential.
- Carol Coye Benson of Glenbrook Partners takes exception to the word federated and its derivatives. "It doesn't mean anything to the average person," she writes.
- Over at ZapThink, senior analyst Jason Bloomberg believes, "The software vendors and enterprises that put together the spec did not adequately put themselves into the users' shoes."
Based on these and other interpretations of the 1.0 spec, I tend to agree most with Jason. First of all, I don't see the need for federated identity from the user's perspective. The example used most-often is the sharing of identities between an airline and a rental-car web site. According to all I've read, the first time I use that federated link, I've got to log into the second site anyway, so what's the advantage through that point in time? None. Furthermore, how important is it to me that United and Avis have this link on an on-going basis? I may have an allegiance to United based on frequent flier miles, but I'm not as loyal to any rental-car company. The second time I click from United to Avis, does it matter to me that I don't have to log in? If I truly care about this (in)convenience, I'm more likely to be using an integrated travel site like Travelocity or Expedia. At these sites, sharing my identity isn't an issue. I can book air travel, cars and hotels at a single site with a single sign-on, and the site remembers all of my preferences, frequent flier numbers, etc. Furthermore, at integrated travel sites I can shop for best prices. As a consumer, I care much more about the integrated convenience and carrier independence than I do about affiliate relationship between vendors who want to share my identity.
There's a critical need for single sign-on among intranet applications, but I still fail to see the need (from the customer's perspective) for federated identity between web sites. Could this be yet another cart before a horse?
Posted Sunday, July 21, 2002 11:34:07 AM 
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