FPS Features & Benefits

Interoperable and extensible

FPS reaps the full benefits of a standards-based approach to provisioning: by adhering to the industry-standard provisioning language, SPML, FPS provides maximum interoperability with other SPML compliant systems, and prevents vendor lock-in.

FPS also includes a comprehensive set of API's, which allow it to be easily integrated into a variety of environments. Examples include:

• The Agent API, which can be used to readily add on alternate transport protocols (like MQ Series or JMS) to FPS' out-of-the-box SOAP over HTTP(S)
• The PST API, which allows the addition of custom provisioning service targets (PSTs) to FPS' out-of-the-box support for LDAP, ODBC, and SPML-enabled back-ends
• API's for event handling, authentication mechanisms, authorization logic, partner management, etc.

Secure

Security is central to FPS' design: it has an integrated security system that enables your enterprise to easily set up authentication/ authorization for the partners in your federation.

Plus, it integrates out-of-the-box with perimeter security solutions, such as those provided by enterprise single-sign-on products.

Non-invasive, rapid, and low-cost implementation

One of the highest barriers to the successful entry into a federated provisioning solution is the invasive and costly implementation burden for subsidiaries and business partners. FPS bypasses this trap by providing the lightweight, low-cost FPS Client component for secondary parties. The FPS Client doesn't need to be installed on the database or LDAP server; it can instead exist as a stand-alone unit in a partner's network and simply query such systems for the information it needs to provision its partners.

Reliable

FPS provides numerous mechanisms and options for increased reliability and operational redundancy; e.g.

• Support for server clustering
• Multiple FPS Servers and FPS Agents (the front-end to the FPS Server) are allowed to operate concurrently
• One FPS Server can talk to clusters of back-end servers (e.g. multiple LDAP servers, etc.)

Flexible and efficient

• FPS is written 100% in Java, making it highly portable
• The FPS Server is multi-threaded for maximum processing throughput
• FPS is fully configurable to provision an arbitrary number of different PSTs