Extended Self-service for Account and Password Management
17 August 2011 – From today, organizations that
want to delegate responsibility for account and password management to individual
users, whilst maintaining the highest standards of IT security, can rely on ESS
2.0 for Microsoft's FIM 2010. This new application for Identity & Access
Management (IAM), developed by Oxford Computer Group
(OCG), a Microsoft Gold Partner, offers users the opportunity to receive initial and reminder account and
password information by e-mail or SMS.
ESS Portal 2.0
The Extended Self-Service (ESS)
portal is an add-on designed by OCG for Forefront Identity Manager (FIM) 2010.
The portal allows companies to implement their own preferred method of user
management for both internal and external employees. With ESS 2.0 users can
receive an initial password, reset passwords, receive password reminders and
conduct account name and password changes, all by SMS or email. The tool comes
with a web page that can be adapted for each organization to complement the
company’s branding.
Development Pilot
To develop the Extended Self-Service (ESS) portal 2.0, OCG undertook a pilot project with a world leading consumer electronics and healthcare organization. The company has over 127,000 users in 73 different countries and was experiencing a number of challenges with its existing IAM solution. The system required extensive customization and was therefore very expensive to manage and maintain. An important driver in the decision for the company to choose a new solution was to reduce costs by replacing the current system with one that would meets its long-term requirements.
Identity & Security
About 70% of
all OCG’s customers that work with FIM 2010 already use ESS 2.0 - the latest organization
to adopt the portal is Endemol Netherlands Media Group. According to Sjef van
Leeuwen, Lead Developer at OCG Benelux, 2.0 ESS meets the current IAM needs of most
organizations. He comments, "Organizations require increasingly customized
systems. They place the highest demands on security, but at the same time they
want both password and account management to be made available to the user's
handset. With ESS 2.0 we dovetail the two needs.”
For more more information on ESS 2.0 click here.