Evolution of Identity

Abstract

Over the years, there has been an ongoing evolution in how identity information is stored and used to enable users to access applications and the functionality they provide. You’ll see in this chapter that each bit of progress has solved some problems but given rise to new ones, as technology and security challenges evolved. We’ll describe some past approaches that have been used to manage identity information and provide authentication and authorization. We’ve selected specific technologies to highlight specific advantages and disadvantages of each approach that may help you evaluate solutions for your project. We’ll also discuss why you should use an industry standard protocol instead of inventing your own solution. Subsequent chapters will then cover specific protocols in more depth.