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IdentityBridge Provides Protocol Translation to Link Incompatible Identity Federation Systems; New Trustgenix Product Performs Bi-Directional Translation of Standards-Based and Proprietary Single Sign-On Technologies

Posted on: Monday, 31 October 2005, 09:00 CST

Trustgenix, the leader in federated identity management software, today announced IdentityBridge 2.5, which enables identity management systems that use incompatible federation protocols to interoperate with each other. Without requiring any modifications to existing systems, IdentityBridge allows organizations to exchange identity data with customers, partners, and third parties that have deployed different versions of the SAML and Liberty Alliance standards, or proprietary single sign-on (SSO) solutions. In addition, IdentityBridge 2.5 provides a framework for users to manage their privacy in federated environments, and supports all the capabilities of the new SAML 2.0 standard.

"Interoperability between identity federation protocols is a potential stumbling block for organizations," said Gerry Gebel, senior analyst at technology research firm Burton Group. "Enterprises that expect to federate with partners using multiple protocols must look to product implementations from vendors to address interoperability concerns between SAML versions, Liberty Alliance, and WS-Federation."

Multi-Protocol Translation

To ensure interoperability between systems that use different identity federation standards, IdentityBridge supports bi-directional protocol translation. This capability eliminates the need for organizations to modify their existing identity infrastructure in order to link with a partner that uses a newer, older, or proprietary federation standard. For example, if Company A uses SAML 2.0 and needs to federate with Company B which uses SAML 1.1, IdentityBridge will translate and send messages in the appropriate protocol to each system. Specifically, when Company A's system sends a SAML 2.0 assertion to Company B, IdentityBridge interprets the SAML 2.0 assertion, verifies that the request is coming from a trusted partner, and creates and passes on a SAML 1.1 assertion to Company B. IdentityBridge can also translate proprietary protocols used by home grown identity management systems to allow these applications to exchange data with standards-based products.

Privacy Manger Puts User in Control

To address regulatory compliance and user privacy concerns in federated environments, the IdentityBridge Privacy Manager allows users to control how their personal information is exchanged between independent sites. For web site operators, IdentityBridge supports the creation of granular privacy policies that can be enforced at both the site and user level. Within Privacy Manager, these privacy options are presented in easy-to-understand scenarios to users. For example, Privacy Manager can prompt a user to consent or deny sharing specific personal attributes from an online banking account (social security number, balance information, etc.) with a loan application site he/she has navigated to from his banking site. Users can set preferences in advance using Privacy Manager or provide in-line consent to the exchange of attributes as they are requested by a web application or web service.

Commercially Available SAML 2.0

For organizations that want to take advantage of the new capabilities offered by the SAML 2.0 standard including global logout and user name cloaking, IdentityBridge 2.5 is the first shipping product with complete support for this new protocol. The IdentityBridge SAML 2.0 implementation has been successfully trialed at several customer sites and was certified interoperable by the Liberty Alliance. Using IdentityBridge's protocol translation capabilities organizations can deploy SAML 2.0 immediately with the confidence of knowing that their applications will remain seamlessly integrated with partners who have not yet migrated to this new protocol.

"In an environment where federation standards continue to evolve, the ability to interoperate with partners that use different protocols is an absolute requirement for organizations," said Atul Tulshibagwale, CEO of Trustgenix. "IdentityBridge removes this roadblock, while providing organizations the ability to confidently deploy SAML 2.0 and extend powerful personal privacy controls to end-users of their web applications."

Pricing and Availability

IdentityBridge 2.5 is available on November 7 from Trustgenix and its business partners worldwide. Pricing starts at $25,000 per connection.

About Trustgenix IdentityBridge

Trustgenix IdentityBridge is the only federated identity management software that simultaneously supports all versions of the SAML, Liberty Alliance and WS-Federation standards, and integrates with any identity management or homegrown Single Sign-On (SSO) system. IdentityBridge enables companies and service providers to supply business partners, customers and consumers with secure access to applications and data that span multiple web sites. IdentityBridge is available in three different versions that support the performance, scalability, and reliability requirements of service providers, enterprises, and small-medium businesses.

About Trustgenix

Trustgenix, Inc. is the leading provider of federated identity software. Trustgenix IdentityBridge enables enterprises and service providers to securely exchange user identity data even if they use different identity management systems. This capability allows business users and consumers to perform one security sign-on and securely traverse multiple web sites via PCs and wireless devices. IdentityBridge also maintains the privacy of end-user credentials and supports open industry standards including SAML, Liberty Alliance, and WS-Federation. For more information about Trustgenix and its products visit us at www.trustgenix.com.

Trustgenix, IdentityBridge, and Trustgenix Federation Server are registered U.S. trademarks of Trustgenix, Inc. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Source: Business Wire

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