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Salesforce Identity

Sep 21, 2012
Craig Burton

Identity Management as a Service (IdMaaS) gets a new 500lb guerilla

Introduction

When I first heard of Salesforce’s Identity announcements this week at Dreamforce, I was reminded of the old joke “Q:Where does a 500lb. gorilla sit? A: Anywhere he wants.”

Salesforce Identity makes Salesforce the new 500lb gorilla in the Digital Identity jungle.

Announcement Details

You can read the basic details of the announcement on Chuck Mortimore’s blog. Here is a quick summary:

What is Salesforce Identity?

Salesforce Identity provides Identity and Access Management (IAM) services for Web and mobile applications, delivered through the simplicity, transparency, and trust of the Salesforce Platform.

  • For users, Salesforce Identity means no more frustration juggling passwords for each application. Login once and seamlessly access all your applications and data using Single Sign-On from a single, social Identity.
  • Administrators gain control and flexibility over access to applications by automating identity and access management processes through the simplicity you’ve come to expect from Salesforce.
  • CIOs can leverage existing authentication investments, while gaining control and peace-of-mind over your cloud investments via centralized reporting and deprovisioning.
  • Developers can build Web, mobile or tablet applications on the Salesforce Platform or on any third-party platform through simple standards based integration.
  • ISVs can tap into the power and distribution of AppExchange and Login with Salesforce regardless of where their app runs, be that Force.com, Heroku, mobile, or any other cloud.

High Level Analysis

I find is so fascinating that the laggard in joining the Cloud Computing parade—Microsoft—was the first to announce an IdMaaS initiative in a very low key understated way. And that the leader in the SaaS movement—Salesforce—shouts its IdMaaS strategy from the rooftops at its mainstream technology conference with Marc Benioff leading as the main spokesperson. It so underlines how clueless Steve Ballmer is to the issues facing Microsoft and its customers.

Identity, and solving the problem of Identity in a Cambrian Explosion of Everything is job 1.

  • There are some people at Microsoft that know this. This does not include Steve Ballmer.
  • As of today, everybody at Salesforce knows it and can’t avoid it. Marc Benioff made the announcement and outlined the vision for Identity in Salesforce’s future.
Putting it another way, the Computing Troika—Cloud Computing, Mobile Computing, and Social Computing—have forced to surface the issue of digital identity being the keystone technology issue for everything.

Without a tractable implementation of identity for the entire industry to use—think IdMaaS—all entrances to the future of computing collapse—the identity keystone holds it all together.

With Salesforce entering the IdMaaS business with its substantial vision, leadership and technology resources cannot help but have a positive effect for everyone in the long term.

Of course we will have to wait and see exactly what Salesforce delivers in the initial IdMaaS implementation, but Chuck Mortimore has an impeccable track record and knows his stuff.

I am impressed and will follow up after more information is available.