Optimal People Picker for SharePoint is a vendor-supported federated claims provider that restores advanced search capabilities for users and groups in SharePoint environments using federated claims authentication. When SharePoint is deployed with federated claims, its default People Picker loses the ability to search on-premise directories. Optimal People Picker solves this by integrating with Optimal IdM’s Virtual Identity Server (VIS), enabling seamless, secure, and accurate user and group selection across multiple Active Directory forests and directories.

Features

• Advanced Claims Search: Re-enables SharePoint’s People Picker to search on-premise directories.
• Multi-Directory Support: Supports users and groups from any directory or database.
• Wildcard Search: Allows flexible and partial search queries.
• Role-Based Filtering: Filters results based on roles/groups to control visibility.
• Cross-Forest Authentication: Seamless authentication across multiple AD forests without forest trusts.
• VIS Integration: Leverages VIS for schema virtualization, caching, and protocol support.
• Security Enhancements: Ensures correct user/group selection to prevent misconfiguration.
• Custom Configuration: Option to retain or hide the default ADFS 2.0 claims provider.
• Full Office Integration: Supports seamless authentication for Office applications.
• Virtualization Support: Compatible with HyperV and VMware.
• Protocol Compatibility: Supports LDAP v3, REST, PowerShell, Kerberos, NTLM, and Negotiate.

Benefits

• Improved Productivity: Enables accurate and efficient user/group selection, reducing time and errors.
• Reduced IT Costs: Extends Microsoft investments without requiring schema changes or forest trusts.
• Enhanced Security: Prevents unauthorized access by ensuring correct identity selection.
• Simplified Deployment: Installs in minutes with a guided configuration wizard.
• Compliance Ready: Supports audit logging and regulatory compliance needs.
• Scalable & Flexible: Grows with organizational needs and supports complex identity environments.
• User-Friendly: Provides a familiar and intuitive interface for end users and administrators.