Microsoft Anywhere Access

Microsoft Anywhere Access is a vision that the Redmond Company has shared with the world at the RSA 2007. Through the evolution of the infrastructure, security and the identity mechanism, Microsoft outlined the vision of Anywhere Access. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie, delivering a keynote address at the RSA 2007 Conference, focused on the advancement of trustworthy computing.

"Security is the fundamental challenge that will determine whether we can successfully create a new generation of connected experiences that enable people to have anywhere access to communications, content and information," Gates said. "The answer for the industry lies in our ability to design systems and processes that give people and organizations a high degree of confidence that the technology they use will protect their identity, their privacy and their information."

"To create the level of seamless, pervasive connectivity that will make secure anywhere access a reality, continued collaboration and cooperation across this industry is essential," Mundie added. "If we can work together to enhance trust, it will open the door to a transformation in the way people share experiences, explore ideas and create opportunities."

Microsoft's vision of Anywhere Access has expanded in order to contain a wide array of scenarios and technologies that will enable users to access, share and use information across networks, platforms and applications.

In this context, Gates and Mundie revealed that Anywhere Access is based on three pillars: networks, protection and identity. First off, the access management policies that govern over the limits between networks and the Internet need to permit seamless integration between the two environments.

However, Anywhere Access needs to be safeguarded by a set of comprehensive security products, designed for interoperability. And last, but not least, the Redmond Company underlined the necessity to standardize digital identities via an identity metasystem.