OpenSSO, an identity management platform, took shape as an open source project in 2005 when Sun made the code generally available. Now that Sun has been acquired by Oracle, many veterans of the company have migrated to ForgeRock, which is aiming to extend the platform, which it has rebranded OpenAM, or access management.
While ForgeRock isn’t positioning itself as a direct competitor to Oracle, the database giant still holds the copyright to OpenSSO, raising the possibility that the code could eventually be headed for a fork.
Datamation has the details on ForgeRock’s plans for the OpenSSO identity management platform.
Among the promises of open source software is that there is no vendor lock-in. It’s a promise that new open source startup ForgeRock is aiming to deliver upon by supporting and extending the OpenSSO open source single sign-on and identity management platform formerly supported by Sun Microsystems.
Many former Sun employees have found a home at ForgeRock, including Simon Phipps, who previously served as Sun’s chief open source officer. At ForgeRock, Phipps holds the position of chief strategy officer.
ForgeRock’s goal is not just to support the OpenSSO platform, but to extend it into a complete access management solution. While ForgeRock and some of its technologies have their roots in Sun, the company doesn’t necessarily see Oracle, Sun’s new owner, as the primary competitive target.