IT organizations (ITOs) have struggled for many years with the concept of identity and its use in authenticating users for access to applications. This issue became much more complex with the introduction of e-business and the concept of authentication across multiple enterprises and Web application delivery to millions of consumers. Microsoft's .Net Passport, the Sun-inspired Liberty Alliance, and AOL's Magic Carpet all represent efforts to create a standard identity infrastructure for consumer-based authentication, enabling applications access across multiple enterprises. Microsoft will attempt to evolve Passport (in a series of phased steps) from a proprietary-based simple authentication and identification service (in 2002) to a federated, Kerberos-based strong authentication model in late 2003. But it will encounter significant technical and political obstacles due to the complexity of inter-enterprise authentication and the alliances needed to avoid monopoly. This will delay any broad-based use in corporate environments until 2004. Addressing interoperability as a result of limited Liberty Alliance successes will occur after 2005.