Microsoft next month for the first time will participate in SAML 2.0 interoperability testing using its Geneva platform to test against other vendors' implementations of the open standard identity protocol. Microsoft will enter the testing, which has been sponsored by the Liberty Alliance since 2003, with the Beta 2 version of Geneva released last month. At that time, Microsoft said it would add certification for the Liberty Alliance implementation of SAML 2.0 when the final code of Geneva is released at the end of 2009.

Ping Identity Corp. is offering a new end-to-end program designed to help companies speed the rollout of SSO (single sign-on) and identity-enabled Web services between their partners and customers. The approach basically lets core customers purchase PingFederate software on behalf of their partners and customers. The program aims to give Ping's enterrpise customers a low-cost and simple was to establish Internet identity connections with trusted parties, Ping officials said.

Microsoft on Monday launched the second beta of its claims-based identity management server platform, code-named "Geneva." The Geneva Server, previously referred to as the "Zermatt" project, runs a security token service that issues and transforms claims to help manage user identities for authentication...Geneva is a critical component in bridging Microsoft's cloud-based Azure Services Platform and its own Active Directory with other federated identity management platforms.