PGP Corp. on Key Management and the Cloud
PGP Corporation’s Perspectives Blog offers some insight on how new cloud-based products can be secure and offer identity management (in a curiously unsigned post). The first generation of products we have seen centers on API keys, except for a few products which require you to submit your username and password for remote use. Both of these solutions are insecure for the same reasons.
Lately, a few cloud products at the bleeding edge of development have offered a new solution. GitHub, BitBucket, and Heroku have offered authentication solutions based on SSH keys. While these are development tools, their inherent focus on distributed data management suggests where next generation cloud services will solve authentication problems.
Social Media and Identity Branding
This blog is about identity and social media touches on that. Small and medium sized enterprises (SME) are all over social media, and rightfully so. Social media provides SMEs the opportunity to level the advertising playing field and work directly with potential customers. And having a presence in multiple networks is equally critical, since the users are everywhere.
Quite a few, I’ve noticed, don’t get it. I have received a handful of friend requests on Facebook from businesses, despite the fact Facebook prohibits the use of personal accounts without a personal identity attached. Facebook provides a mechanism for businesses through “Pages.” But what surprised me recently was a business with a personal profile on LinkedIn, and it has 25 connections. The business also had a company profile on LinkedIn, which was up to date. SMEs would be better off using the business profile pages established for that purpose, as they usually are bettered geared at presenting business data. After all, you may be married to your work, but Facebook ought not say it is married to you.
