Microsoft launches digital ID software

[MemorY]

The company said Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS) 2003, which will be available to customers next month, will help businesses establish, manage and eventually delete user account information more easily.

Full Story : http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-1023054.html

[SirDirge]

I think that M$'s anti-piracy tools is going way to far. Digital ID's are very good when buy online (they are bringing stuff like this out in Finland [Don't know about the US]) where by using your electronic ID you can prove to the website that you really are whom you say you are.
There is not point in spending millions of dollars on creating complex algorithms to stop pirating because the 5% of the worlds population whom are capable of pirating will always sucsed.

[keezel]

I think I missed something.... So how does M$'s new software tie into software piracy? I read the article but I diddn't catch the part where it said it was going to be used to cut down on piracy. Maybe it's just me...

[spaceghost7]

I agree with keezel as I read that I didnt see anything that had anything to do with anti-piracy all I saw was microsofts latest try to regain a monopoly on the computer market...

[er0k]

/me mutters something about bill gates being his big brother..

[waverebel]

I think this is interesting, there is an attempt here to try and solve a real problem. But I am sceptical about how well it will work in practice for many companies, mostly because of the existance of legacy systems and in house software. "MIIS 2003 can gather identity data in 17 different formats" thats not realy a lot!

This sounds to me like if you could start from scracth it would be a great idea (asuming you can aford the $25k price tag) but there are going to a lot of IT managers out there already anticipating the headache of trying to explain to the management why this won't work for thier company.

and I don't think they have to regain anything in terms of a monopoly.

[keezel]

Seriously. They haven't ever *lost* their monopoly so how could they regain it? Diddn't some case recently go to the Supreme Court where it was decided to split Microsoft into two seperate companies and Bill Gates would have no power whatsoever over the other? I wonder when they'll enforce that...

[sickyourIT]

I disagree with SirDirge. What M$ is trying to do, along with the CD Industry, the DVD industry, as well as magazine companies and etc. is trying to keep piracy from being easy.

(read up a little bit about the origins of VHS and you'll find out more. VHS was never intended to be a copyable media. they got really screwed when people started dubbing tapes, and then they just got over it. that's why they originally put autotrack skippers on dvd disks - to prevent even poor quality dubs)

Back to the soapbox....
if they don't keep making things increasingly difficult to pirate, then technology will catch up, and everything will become increasingly easier to pirate. - if only 5% can and will pirate, they want to keep it at 5%, instead of letting it grow to 10%

it's just a matter of increasing your security to protect your assets. digging a moat and getting a drawbridge is no longer considered adequate defense for a military installation anymore...