I expected to learn quite a bit at the Internet Identity Workshop (IIW) - the semi-annual ID geekfest in Mountain View, Calif., and I did indeed learn quite a bit. Some of it was even about identity services, applications and projects. And it appears the question now in identity circles is what comes next?

Ping Identity announced that PingFederate Web Services 2.6 is available for immediate download from its Web site. Now packaged as an optional add-on module for PingFederate, Ping Identity's industry-leading standalone federated identity software, PingFederate Web Services 2.6 adds support for the OASIS WS-Trust 1.3 standard, as well as the ability to create and validate CA SiteMinder SMSESSION tokens.

Wasn't 1999 supposed to be "the year of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)?" Yes, I know, another analyst prediction that didn't come to fruition. It's fair to chastise the analysts for another missed call, but PKI certainly shares some of the blame. It really is difficult to imagine a "year of PKI" because PKI isn't your typical technology trend. PKI isn't a standalone security widget, it is a complex infrastructure that must be integrated into existing applications and business processes.