You know you’re at a real nerdfest when the conference catering consists of large pretzels and candybars. This tweet by some unknown delegate just about captures my own impression of TEC 2011. Measured in terms of techies per square feet, this simply has to be the geekiest conference in the galaxy.

For me as an Identity guy, it was also a kind of homecoming, a reassurance that, yes, there are lots and lots of people out there that share our vision of a world where digital identities will better protect and enable us both in our business and our private lives.
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“Silicon-based lifeforms” is a term Ray Bradbury might have used to great effect. “Invasion of the Sand Beings” would have made a great sci-fi title. Just imagine the film trailer: “They’re awesome! They’re everywhere! They’re made of silicon! They’re indestructable!”

So imagine my surprise hearing what seemed at first to be a level-headed CEO explaining to me that his company, Venafi, is in the business of supplying “ID badges for silicon-based lifeforms” Okay, Venafi has its headquarters in a Salt Lake City suburb named, of all things, Sandy, but this surely is a pun too far, isn’t it?
No joke, though. Jeff Hudson sees certificates as the best, or at least the most pervailent way of giving identity to the machines that run our IT systems – and increasingly the world.
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