--- title: Virtual Directory for application authentication description: EmpowerID's Virtual Directory allows you to present this identity information as LDAP image: https://blog.empowerid.com/hs-fs/file-228956162-png/images/virtual_directory_for_application_authentication.png --- [![empowerID-logo](https://blog.empowerid.com/hubfs/empowerID-logo.svg "empowerID-logo")](http://www.empowerid.com) **![phone](https://blog.empowerid.com/hubfs/images/phone.svg)   1-877-996-4276   **or**  +1 (614) 652-6825** [![Share on facebook](https://7528309.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528309/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/facebook-color.png?width=24&name=facebook-color.png) ](https://www.facebook.com/220903377569) [![Share on linkedin](https://7528302.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528302/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/linkedin-color.png?width=24&name=linkedin-color.png) ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/85780) [![Share on twitter](https://7528304.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528304/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/twitter-color.png?width=24&name=twitter-color.png) ](https://twitter.com/EmpowerID) [![Share on pinterest](https://7528311.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528311/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/pinterest-color.png?width=24&name=pinterest-color.png) ](http://www.youtube.com/user/empowerID) # All-In-One Identity Management and Cloud Security Emerging technologies are challenging old paradigms and unveiling new ways of approaching the security discipline that enables the right individuals to access the right resources at the right times for the right reasons. EmpowerID has embedded innovative technologies in every aspect, providing flexible and mature IAM capabilities in the cloud, on premise and in hybrid environments, addressing the mission-critical need across increasingly heterogeneous technology environments, and meeting increasingly rigorous compliance requirements. # Virtual Directory for application authentication Posted by [Edward Killeen](https://blog.empowerid.com/blog-1/author/edward-killeen) on Wed, Jul 17, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) Whether you are building a new application or trying to retire the old legacy directory for an old application, having a virtual directory directly tied to your identity directory gives you great flexibility. EmpowerID maintains a metadirectory that inventories and updates all of your various identity stores on a continuous basis, keeping a single unified "person view" of each user, whether they be internal or external.  This metadirectory can be used for a lot more than Identity and Access Management (IAM), however. But rather than synchronize all of this identity information to yet another directory, EmpowerID's Virtual Directory allows you to present this metadirectory identity information as LDAP.  EmpowerID roles are presented as LDAP groups and you can maintain the exact schema required for the application without having to manage another directory. This virtual directory is especially useful for applications that require internal and external users to both have access, replacing the need to have external users inside of your corporate directory.  As LDAP, users on any OS can access, authenticate and authorize against the directory. ![Virtual Directory for application authentication](https://blog.empowerid.com/hs-fs/file-228956162-png/images/virtual_directory_for_application_authentication.png) By using this virtual directory as your application directory, you no longer have to worry about separate provisioning and de-provisioning as all of the workflows around user management are included in your IAM, you simply create a role based provisioning workflow to create accounts in the virtual directory based on user attributes.  You can offer self registration, password management, single sign-on, and RBAC policies to apply to what your user can and cannot do in the application. Since all of EmpowerID is workflow based and can be managed with APIs and web services, you can even build the management of these users into your application, lessening the learning curve for administration of the application Virtual directories that are separate from your IAM have many of the same challenges as legacy directories, take a look at what you would need to integrate the two and take advantage of all of the IAM capabilities for your application. Tags: [Virtual Directory](https://blog.empowerid.com/blog-1/topic/virtual-directory), [Identity and Access Management (IAM)](https://blog.empowerid.com/blog-1/topic/identity-and-access-management-iam) ### About EmpowerID EmpowerID is the all-in-one Identity Management and Cloud Security platform designed for people.  Globally managing millions of identities in diverse enterprises, EmpowerID offers comprehensive provisioning, single sign-on and access governance coupled with an industry leading user experience.  Built on a single codebase for manageability and scalability, EmpowerID ships with a powerful API, a visual workflow designer and over 400 ready-to-use workflows for rapid deployment.   [![Free Evaluation of EmpowerID](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/174819/daebe087-5275-487d-bf53-bb1d39fb9dc4.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/174819/daebe087-5275-487d-bf53-bb1d39fb9dc4) ### Latest Posts ### Posts by category - [2-Factor (2)](https://blog.empowerid.com/blog-1/topic/2-factor) - 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EmpowerID © 2021 EmpowerID ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Edward Killeen", "url" : "https://blog.empowerid.com/blog-1/author/edward-killeen" }, "datePublished" : "2013-07-17T18:29:00.000Z", "headline" : "Virtual Directory for application authentication", "image" : [ "https://blog.empowerid.com/hs-fs/file-228956162-png/images/virtual_directory_for_application_authentication.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.empowerid.com/blog-1/bid/304816/Virtual-Directory-for-application-authentication", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.empowerid.com/hubfs/Asset%201.svg" }, "name" : "EmpowerID" } } ```