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Microsoft finalizes latest Forefront identity-management release

FIM 2010 R2 is available now to TechNet and MSDN subscribers.
Written by Mary Jo Foley, Senior Contributing Editor

Microsoft quietly released to manufacturing (RTM'd) on June 1 the newest version of its Forefront Identity Manager product.

Forefront Identity Manager (FIM) 2010 R2 is available now to those with TechNet and MSDN subscriptions. I've asked Microsoft when the product will be generally available.( No reply so far.)

Update: Microsoft officials never responded to my question on general availability. But on June 14, they issued a blog post noting FIM 2010 R2 is now generally available.

FIM is Microsoft’s digital-identity-management product that integrates with Active Directory and Exchange Server. It is the successor to the Microsoft Identity Lifecycle Manager offering (and before that, the Microsoft Identity Integration Server and Certificate Lifecycle Manager products). FIM handles tasks like identity schronization, certificate management, user password resets, user provisioning, etc.

Microsoft made a beta of FIM 2010 R2 available in August 2011, noting at that time that the final release would be out in the first half of 2012. FIM 2010 shipped in March 2010.

The release notes for FIM 2010 R2 are available on Microsoft's Web site. Microsoft also has published a what's new document for the FIM 2010 R2 release. FIM is one of a family of Forefront products. There's also Forefront Endpoint Security, Forefront Network (Edge) Access and Protection and Forefront Application Protection (for Exchange, Lync, etc.). There also is/was a product known as Forefront Threat Management Gateway. Microsoft officials have declined to say whether that product has been dropped or how/when/if its functionality will be continued as part of other products.

Microsoft officials recently began sharing information publicly about the company's broader identity-management strategy and plans, starting with the Windows Azure Active Directory technology.

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