The term “identity management” is broadly defined as a set of policies and tools that identify individuals within a system or network. Thanks in large part to the rise of the cloud, identity-management software has become faster and further-reaching than ever before—an IT administrator can approve a worker’s access to a particular set of cloud applications from halfway around the world, in a matter of seconds, while setting tighter controls for a new set of mobile devices on their network.

However, despite the boost from the cloud, many of the old issues associated with identity management continue to collectively plague IT.

In recent weeks, Intel and SailPoint have all made forays into delivering identity management services via the cloud, where they join players such as Okta, IBM and CA Technologies. That comes just as players such as VMware extend identity-management technologies developed for on-premise use to cloud applications.

According to Girish Juneja, Intel’s director of application security and identity products, Intel Cloud SSO (an identity-and-access platform accessible via Salesforce’s Force.com) allows IT organizations to provision, synchronize and de-provision access to thousands of cloud applications. It relies on a two-factor authentication model. Juneja added that Intel included a comprehensive set of reporting and auditing tools for the platform, the better to apparently meet all compliance requirements. Continue Identity Management Moves into the Cloud article here