Metadirectories a matter of semantics

The ambiguity in the market about what a metadirectory is has opened up some space for companies with products that don't conform to the classic definition, but which nevertheless perform similarly.

For example, a Norwegian company called Metamerge Corp., until recently known as ArchiTech, has been getting increasing attention for its Metamerge Directory Integrator, which, instead of acting as a central repository for network information, simply provides the pipes and logic to link existing directories.

"Implementation can be handled by an organization's own IT staff, if they have a certain knowledge of directories," said Johan Varno, chief technology officer. "Simple configurations are done quickly, but to handle more complex situations [it] supports Javascript, Perl and [Visual Basic] scripts that allow for full customization."

In the company's terminology, a metadirectory is simply the integration technology that makes it possible to create and maintain a directory based on the existing information sources in an enterprise, Varno said. Organizations don't need more directories, he said, just the technology to maintain and synchronize what they already have.