Announced at the RSA Conference 2010, Forefront Identity Manager - the successor to Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007 - dramatically simplifies enterprise identity management through end-user self service capabilities and IT administrator tools to automate tasks.

• More info on the RTM of Forefront Identity Manager 2010 RTM on the Forefront blog
• Download Forefront Identity Manager 2010 RTM

Screencast about Identity & Access Management

This video describes the capabilities and business drivers behind the solution. Beginning at [6:08], you’ll see a demo including automated AD group management and access through Forefront Identity Manager (FIM), FIM password reset, and managing group membership via Outlook.

Brian Harry announced on his blog the beta release of Microsoft Visual Studio Team Explorer 2010 codename “Eaglestone”, the Eclipse plug-in and cross-platform command line assets that were acquired from Teamprise back in November.

Announcement on the SharePoint product team blog:

“Today, we officially announced that May 12th, 2010, is the launch date for SharePoint 2010 & Office 2010. In addition, we announced our intent to RTM (Release to Manufacturing) this April 2010.”

Read more about it at the SharePoint product team blog.

All organizations need to manage identities, credentials, and resources. Some lucky organizations only have to deal with one directory, but most have to deal with multiple directory trees and application-specific identity sources. The IT departments in those organizations are expected to deliver this management efficiently, cost-effectively, and securely. Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager 2010 (FIM) is a component of Microsoft’s Identity & Access Management solution that brings powerful capabilities, administrative tools, and enhanced automation to organizations to help them efficiently manage identities.

We recently announced the RTM of Forefront Identity Manager 2010 (FIM). FIM is not Microsoft’s first identity management solution; it has evolved from Microsoft Identity Lifecycle Manager (ILM) 2007, which was previously Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS) 2003, which originated from Microsoft Metadirectory Services (MMS).

Find out how FIM makes identity management easier on TechNet Edge or watch one or more of following videos:

• Identity and Access Management Solution
• Forefront Identity Manager 2010: Technical Overview and Feature drill-down
• Forefront Identity Manager 2010: Deploying FIM
• Forefront Identity Manager 2010: Reducing cost of group management
• Channel 9 Video: Alex Weinert on Forefront Identity Manager 2010

Want to try it out yourself? Download the trial of Forefront Identity Manager 2010.

SQL Server and BI professionals will gather from 21 till 23 April 2010 in Neuss (Germany) for the SQL PASS European Conference.

PASS European Conference 2010 is Europe's premier conference for SQL Server technical education and business networking. Meet top SQL Server experts from Europe and around the world. Learn about best practices, effective troubleshooting, how to prevent issues, save money, and build a better SQL Server environment for your company or clients. Roll up your sleeves and get hands-on. Get face-to-face answers and advice from Microsoft CSS experts.

The Belgian SQL Server User Group offers up to 35% discount on the regular registration price for SQL PASS. Be sure to check out their blog!