Forefront Roadmap Update

New roadmaps have been revealed for Microsoft’s two remaining Forefront-branded products. Changes include the following:

Forefront Identity Manager will be updated in 2015. Identity Manager synchronizes user identity data between Active Directory, Windows Azure Active Directory, and other stores such as Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directories and Oracle identity servers. It also helps manage smart cards, digital certificates, and other types of tokens for secure authentication. Identity Manager will receive a major update in the first half of 2015 that will include improved integration with Windows Azure Active Directory, improved user and access management, and new audit and compliance features.

Forefront Unified Access Gateway (UAG) will be discontinued in July 2014. UAG will not receive any major updates, although minor updates and security patches may be provided. The UAG software provides remote access to applications over HTTPS, a capability also called Secure Sockets Layer Virtual Private Network, or SSL VPN, and the software supports the DirectAccess VPN feature of Windows. Some UAG capabilities are included in Windows Server 2012 R2 through the Web Application Gateway, and existing UAG server customers will be granted a Windows Server 2012 Standard server license for each UAG server license with active Software Assurance (SA). Customers with SA in effect as of Dec. 1, 2013, may add new UAG server instances, users, and devices without any requirement to order additional licenses. UAG 2010 remains in Mainstream support until Apr. 14, 2015, and Extended support until Apr. 14, 2020. The previous version, Intelligent Application Gateway 2007, is in Extended support until July 11, 2017.