Stories by: John Fontana

Microsoft Tuesday will unveil an open identity platform code-named Geneva that extends to the cloud and includes development tools, gateway technologies and provides long-awaited support for the SAML 2.0 protocol.

IBM, LexisNexis and the Secret Service are among a group of corporations, government agencies and academic institutions that has formed to study and help solve identity management challenges around cybercrime, terrorism and narcotics trafficking.

Centeris, which provides cross-platform authentication via Microsoft's Active Directory, Tuesday enhanced its Likewise platform (Clear Choice Test of Likewise)Â and an added open source project that will be distributed with the top Linux operating systems.

A unique demonstration showed user-centric identity software from major vendors, start-ups, one-woman projects and open source hackers all working in concert to replace passwords with validated identity-card access to Web-based resources.

Novell is developing an open source implementation of Microsoft's identity card technology that is functionally equivalent to the Windows software but will run on both Linux and Macintosh.

IBM and Microsoft are set to turn over to a standards body a key set of Web services security specifications they have been developing for establishing trust and exchanging data between partners.

Don and Charlene Zwonitzer know a thing or two about preparing for the unexpected. The knowledge comes from reclaiming a 1960s-era Atlas E Missile Silo and converting it into home sweet home - and eventually, they hope, a modern-day computer disaster-recovery facility.

Microsoft is working on restructuring its identity management platform, adding services directly into the operating system with an eye toward lessening users' current integration chores.

The list of all-too-familiar names - Nachi, Klez, Lovsan, SoBig, BugBear, Swen, Blaster and Yaha - represents only a sampling of the most prevalent worms and viruses that slithered into corporate networks this fall. But they all have one thing in common: Patches were readily available before most damage had been done. So why do these intruders continue to wreak such havoc?