ADFS 2.0 is an add-on role for Windows Server 2008 that was released in May. The idea is simple: Users log in once to the Active Directory environment and can use those credentials through claims-based authentication to access other applications, as long as they are identity-aware...ADFS 2.0 supports SAML 2.0, which is also used by several major third-party cloud services.

WSO2 is shipping an open source--based identity application that runs in the cloud and is aimed at helping companies avoid building internal systems for identity management and authentication...WSO2 Cloud Identity lets administrators provide strong authentication using electronic IDs for users based on popular open standards including the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) 2.0, OpenID and Information Card token-based standards, according to the company.

At its TechEd conference this week, Microsoft is pushing its newly upgraded Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) technology as the foundation for identity in cloud computing environments, but some analysts point out there are still more pieces to come in the complex federated identity puzzle...

The latest release of the enStratus Cloud Computing Management Solution provides major enhancements in the areas of user management, financial management, and alerting, as well as a new staging environment for customers to test applications. enStratus provides a cross-cloud management solution delivering governance for the cloud. The latest release is available immediately and includes the following new features:

dOnDemand, a security organization dedicated to providing a highly secure single identity for access to enterprise resources anywhere, and Novell team up to deliver a solution combining PIV smartcards and single sign-on. This partnership enables customers to use a single PIV smartcard to protect their legacy username and password systems.