[provision] Scope of SPML -- Identities and Resources

["Ranthidevan, Anand" <aranthidevan@jamcracker.com>]

Title: Scope of SPML -- Identities and Resources

For the last 2 years, Jamcracker has been helping to create this new ASP marketplace.  At Jamcracker, we aggregate/resell/OEM Web Applications & Web Servcies from many diffrent providers.  Some of these services include Email, VPN, HRMS, CRM, SFA, etc.  And, of course, the *biggest* problem area has been Provisioning across various systems at various Providers.

We would like to contribute our lessons learnt over the last 2 years to helping make SPML a success.  From our experience, I think the scope of SPML should cover the following identities and resources:

IDENTITIES: As *who* requires to be added, modified, or deleted. This shouldn't be limited to just Users, as that's too narrow. The main ones we've come across and have implemented (albeit without the benefit of a standard) are:

1. Systems
2. Companies
3. Company Structures -- like Divisions, Departments, Cost Centers, Locations, Employee Types, and so on.
4. Users
5. User Roles

The second and third items in the list are key in business scenarios where a particular resource (service) needs to be first provisioned at the Company-level, before it can be provisioned for Users of that Company. Usually, a manual contract/paper agreement is signed at this level and many resources (like Email for example) require a Company-level identification before adding Users. This could well hold at the organizational structure levels also.

RESOURCES: As *systems* on which the identity needs to be added, modified, or deleted. The scope of SPML should strive to cover the entire set of enterprise resources -- as all these fall under the provisioning ambit. These include, but are not limited to:

1.      Directories

a.      Microsoft Active Directory
b.      Novell Directory Services
c.      Sun iPlanet Directory Server
d.      OpenLDAP

2.      Operating Systems

a.      MS Windows 2000
b.      MS Windows NT
c.      Sun Solaris
d.      IBM AIX
e.      HP UX
f.      Linux

3.      Networks

a.      Novell Netware

4.      Security

a.      VeriSign PKI
b.      Cisco Secure ACS
c.      Tivoli Policy Director
d.      Tivoli SecureWay LDAP
e.      RSA ClearTrust
f.      Netegrity SiteMinder
g.      Entegrity AssureAccess
h.      Entrust getAccess
i.      Oblix NetPoint
j.      Baltimore SelectAccess

5.      Enterprise Email

a.      Microsoft Exchange
b.      Lotus Notes
c.      Novell GroupWise

6.      Enterprise Database

a.      Oracle
b.      DB2
c.      MS SQL Server
d.      Sybase

7.      Enterprise WebServers

a.      Apache
b.      Microsoft IIS

8.      Enterprise AppServers

a.      IBM WebShere
b.      BEA WebLogic
c.      Sun iPlanet
d.      HP AS

9.      Enterprise Financials

a.      SAP Financials
b.      PeopleSoft Financials
c.      Oracle Financials
d.      GreatPlains Financials
e.      JD Edwards Financials

10.     Enterprise HRMS

a.      PeopleSoft HR
b.      SAP HR
c.      Oracle HR

11.     Enterprise CRM

a.      Clarify
b.      Remedy
c.      Siebel
d.      Oracle CRM

12.     Mainframe

a.      IBM MVS RACF
b.      IBM MVS ACF2
c.      IBM AS/400

13.     Pure ASPs

a.      http://www.webex.com/home/default.htm
b.      http://www.salesforce.com/
c.      http://www.upshot.com/
d.      http://www.employease.com/home.php3
e.      http://www.openair.com/home/
f.      http://www.ipass.com/main.php

14.     Telco & Wireless Services

a.      Plain Old Telephone Service
b.      DSL
c.      T-1
d.   3G

To make this more concrete, I can go ahead and put together some general business scenarios and use cases.  Would that work for everyone?  Should I post them to this list?

-Anand

[Anand Ranthidevan]
Product Manager - Jamcracker Platform
aranthidevan@jamcracker.com
http://www.jamcracker.com