Can true love ever exist in the IT world?
I mean between IT vendors - not the sordid goings-on (or uplifting romance, depending on your point of view) between consenting adults.
The thought occurred on being briefed about the joyous bonds between HP subsidiary ProCurve and Microsoft.
The focus of the meeting in London was the launch of Identity Driven Manager (IDM) that provided ProCurve with its compatibility to Microsoft’s Network Access Protocol (NAP).
The main presentation showed how the relationship between ProCurve and Microsoft developed. The affair began in 1998 when the two got together to develop the IEEE 802.1x protocol that HP had initiated. It looked like ProCurve was doing the chasing when it started Trusted Network Connect (TNC) specification.
IDM is layered over NAP. Its structure is based on identifying who, what and how users connect to the network and enables an administrator to tailor policy to individuals or groups by time, location, device, integrity and thus applications. In simple terms Microsoft’s NAP handles the server and client security while ProCurve IDM deals with the network.
Together the two are complementary. ProCurve’s Gijs Zantvoort waxed eloquently on how the two entities worked together. In his experience, he could not recall an example of such an ideal fit.
Well, ain’t love wonderful?
I must not be cynical as although it may not have been made in heaven, this union looks a good one. Probably it will need strengthening in the areas of compliance, auditing and regulation.
As in most blessed unions, the little ones will come along in due course.