ITS considers new platform for The Person Services

To understand the function and work of ITS Identity Management, it’s important to know several key terms, processes and services associated with this group. In this post, ITS Identity Management Manager Celeste Copeland explains SOA, also known as The Person Services.

This is part of a continuing series about ITS Identity Management. Look for coming posts about Guest IDs, Identity Management’s new functions following the University’s migration to Office 365, and what’s next in the field of identity management.

What is SOA?

SOA stands for Service-Oriented Architecture. It is a style of software design that is based on independent and vendor-neutral web services that can be used by many applications. It is designed to allow loose coupling between applications so that things like upgrades to the data-source systems will not impact dependent services.

ITS first released its SOA offering with the switch to Campus Solutions in 2009. These first services were called The Person Services, and enabled search, update and deletion of bio-demographical information associated with a person within Campus Solutions, such as name, address, telephone and affiliation information.

There is also the Search/Match function, which can be used to find an existing PID based on matching criteria so that a second PID does not get created for the same person. Those services still exist today, and are used by several key applications around campus. Those web services currently run on a platform we want to replace.

Where would The Person Services move to?

Vetri Thiagarajan, Architect and Director of Enabling Tools with ITS Enterprise Applications, has been heading an effort to select a new integration platform, and through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process, that group has selected Informatica’s iPAAS solution.

We are currently prioritizing a potential move of The Person Services to this platform among other pressing projects for the current fiscal year and beyond.