Virtual Directory

A virtual directory or virtual directory server is technology which allows for user identities from multiple sources to be consolidated and presented back to calling applications as a logical view, rather than separate identity stores. The lightweight nature of a virtual directory makes it extremely portable and flexible, allowing for its data to be consumed by both humans (in the form of search) and technologies such as web services. Typically a virtual directory is constructed using LDAP protocol. Common data sources that would be acquired by a virtual directory include LDAP, relational databases, and even web services. While typical virtual directories consist of user and entitlement information, they can be extended to acquire additional user information such as a history of products owned.

The following diagram, from Radiant Logic, shows how identity consumers leverage the virtual directory instead of being coded to talk directly to the back-end data stores:

Virtual directories can offer many advantages including:

• The flexibility and choice in the level of integration; by proxy or data model and correlation or aggregation
• Guaranteed levels of performance independent from the performance of the back-end systems through advanced caching and synchronization technology
• The ability to leverage existing investments in authoritative data stores
• The delivery of application specific views of identity data that can help avoid the need to develop a master enterprise schema
• The ability to allow for a single view of identity data without violating internal or external regulations governing identity data
• The establishment of an identity firewall - preventing denial of service attacks on the primary data stores and providing further security on access to sensitive data
• Changes made in authoritative sources are reflected in real-time
• Guaranteed scalability and flexibility to meet current integration needs and future architecture patterns

The list of virtual directory offerings in today's marketplace includes:

• Radiant Logic Virtual Directory Server (Radiant Logic VDS)
• Oracle Virtual Directory
• Symlabs Virtual Directory Server

Would you like to learn more about why a virtual directory might make sense for your identity management infrastructure? Please contact us anytime!