Brewing a User-Centric Electronic Identity Solution

The growing popularity of mobile apps, the “bring your own device” (BYOD) phenomenon, cloud computing, and big data, seem to have created the perfect storm for traditional identity technologies and solutions. Service providers and certain users too are increasingly aware that the features and benefits offered by an identity solution are worth nothing if a crafty attacker breaks through critical design elements, exposes secrets and private information, and thereby facilitates user impersonation and fraudulent transactions. This paper provides a synopsis of the identity problem (as I see it), discusses essential weaknesses of certain traditional solutions, and proposes what I believe to be critical design requirements for next generation identity solutions. I also highlight the role of software quality engineering in the development of such solutions.