Optimal IdM ships SQL Server '08 adapter

USA: Optimal IdM, LLC, a premier Microsoft ISV and Identity & Access (IDA) partner, today announced the release of a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 adapter for its Virtual Identity Server (VIS).

Using its Virtual Identity Server, the industry’s only .NET virtual directory, and its new adapter, Optimal IdM now provides organizations with access to data that resides in both an LDAP directory and a SQL Server 2008 database in a single joined view.

Many applications connect to and only communicate with one LDAP directory such as Active Directory (AD). However, many organizations do not store all of the information needed by an application in AD. Instead, this data may reside in other data repositories such as a SQL Server database.

Previously, when faced with this situation, organizations were forced to harvest the data from the SQL database, extend the schema of AD, and copy this information into AD.  In most cases, this is not desirable and in some instances, it may not be permitted legally. 

By using Optimal IdM’s Virtual Identity Server and its SQL Server adapter, this is no longer necessary.  Instead, the application connects to the Virtual Identity Server, which provides a real-time merged view of the data from both the SQL Server database and Active Directory. 

“Our Virtual Identity Server solution eliminates the requirement for customers to extend their Active Directory schema and unnecessarily replicate data from one repository to another.  Using the Virtual Identity Server, the data is accessed directly at its authoritative source thereby eliminating the need to synchronize this data into Active Directory. As a result, customers have less complexity in their environment and greatly reduce their administration costs,” adds, Larry Aucoin, Managing Partner of Optimal IdM.

Optimal IdM’s Virtual Identity Server’s SQL Server adapter supports Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 databases.