Etelos is adopting OpenID and Single Sign On(SSO) for its partners that sell business applications. The service will provide a single point of user authentication for business applications distributed through Etelos marketplaces.
OpenID will primarily serve small business customers who use business applications from Etelos partners. OpenID will provide small businesses with an identity solution that gives them easier access to the applications they use. Etelos develops and operates private-labeled marketplaces for Web-based business applications such as Eventbrite and Box.net.
Subscribers access what Etelos calls a User Management Interface (UMI). This console manages all of the application users for a small business subscriber. Using this system, they can access their application through a single sign on. They can link to their Web apps through a “single-user portal.”
OpenD is a decentralized standard for managing user names and passwords for single-logon access to web-based applications and social sites. It is supported by a number of companies including Google, IBM and Yahoo!
OpenID has taken some time to establish itself but it did get a boost this summer when Google Apps adopted it. The adoption meant millions of schools, businesses and other organizations could use their Apps accounts as an OpenID.
OpenID should see continued growth, especially as enterprise applications proliferate. OpenID and SSO’s give providers like Etelos a way for its customers to offer a simple identity solution that simplifies the process for managing applications.
