Identity correlation is, in information systems, a process that reconciles and validates the proper ownership of disparate user account login IDs (user names) that reside on systems and applications throughout an organization and can permanently link ownership of those user account login IDs to particular individuals by assigning a unique identifier (also called primary or common keys) to all validated account login IDs.
There are three main types, each corresponding to a different generation strategy: For identity correlation, a unique identifier is typically a serial or random number.
smith to reflect that surname change, but it might not actually update her information or login credentials in any other system she has access to.
Identity correlation should link the appropriate system account login IDs to individuals who might be indistinguishable, as well as to those who appear to be drastically different from a system-by-system standpoint.
User data inconsistencies can also occur due to manual input errors, non-standard nomenclature, or name changes that might not be identically updated across all systems.
Organizations can expand and consolidate through mergers and acquisitions, which increases the complexity of business processes, policies, and procedures.
Some identities may become redundant, others may violate application-specific or more widespread departmental policies, others could be related to non-human or system account IDs, and still others may no longer be applicable to a particular user environment.
Once the validation process is complete, a unique identifier can be assigned to that individual and his or her associated system-specific account login IDs.
There are a number of basic strategies to perform this correlation, or "ID Mapping:" Often, any process that requires an in-depth look into identity data brings up a concern for privacy and disclosure issues.
Because authoritative data is frequently highly confidential and restricted, such concerns may bar the way from performing an identity correlation activity thoroughly and sufficiently.
Even if an organization can dedicate full-time individuals to such an effort, the methodologies usually do not expose an adequate enough percentage of defunct identities, validate an adequate enough percentage of matched identities, or identify system (non-person) account IDs to pass the typical requirements of an identity-related audit.
These delivery methodologies are designed to offer a solution that is flexible enough to correspond to various budget and staffing requirements and meet both short and/or long-term project goals and initiatives.