Identity Management
Windley recently attended a Digital Identity Summit where leaders spoke about why digital ID is an important thing. I am in the trenches developing a serious base for Digital ID for the state. Phil mentions the Utah Master Directory (UMD) in one of his articles on Phil Becker's presentation. I believe that UMD will provide tremendous value to the citizens and the employees of the State of Utah.
UMD is based on Novell's eDirectory technology. It will have space for all users of State web applications. 2.4 million plus. It will have account management tools that will let users update their own information. Imagine if all State web applications used the directory for primary information on users, such as address. The citizen would have total control over the information the State was using to provide services. As an opt-in directory, citizens could still be e-hermits if they want to, hiding in the hills of paper processes, rather than taking advantage of the civilization beneath them.
There are major challenges to overcome. The biggest one, I think, is the fact that very few people understand the potential of UMD and consolidated web authentication. I am working on a marketing strategy right now to get more people to see the value of it. Also, there are many technical and policy challenges that need to be overcome.
One thing to remember is that we are not trying to build the whole thing in a day. We started with initial development of UMD last year, and now we are working on other components that will bring us closer to our goals. Major component releases, like the new web authentication system, will occur this year. Also, we realize that agencies are free to choose whatever directory structure they want and whatever authentication platform they want. The only way they will use UMD and authentication is if they see the value, and the value equals or exceeds the cost. The product has to serve their interests. It's my job to make that connection.
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