Identity management is a challenge for most organizations today: the larger the organization, the greater the challenge. The user must present his or her identity to get access to the many ICT (Information and Communication Technology) applications within the organization. Examples include the various operating systems, the HR (Human Resources) system, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems, databases, directories, physical access control systems, e-mail systems and support systems.

For any organization to achieve a more efficient and secure management of internal and external accounts, an identity management solution is a prerequisite. This includes everything, from the initial steps of coordinating and joining all existing accounts using directory services, to setting up a complete workflow and provisioning system for distributed management of accounts, as well as password handling across multiple applications and federation across security domains.

This document describes the SAP NetWeaver Identity Management products, which cover most of the core functionality for implementing an identity management solution, including a virtual directory.