Microsoft this summer will lay out a plan to make its .Net Passport authentication service more Web services-friendly.

Passport, which allows people to use a single sign-on to access multiple Web sites, is currently built on the use of Web browser cookies and technology such as HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). A Microsoft representative on Thursday declined to say when the work to integrate the Web services standards is expected to be completed.

Passport will eventually work with Web services standards, including Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Microsoft said. It will also conform to WS-Security, a security specification devised by Microsoft and IBM. The software maker hopes that standards compliance will lead to greater adoption of Passport by developers as a single sign-on technology for inclusion in Web applications.

Microsoft currently offers a software developer's kit for Passport, which gives programmers a tool for incorporating an authentication process into Web site applications. The future support for Web services standards is expected to make it easier for developers who are familiar with Web services to use Passport within applications.