It’s not a huge leap to call us OpenID evangelists. Honestly we wear that badge proudly, mostly because not only are we extremely proud of what we’re putting together with Vidoop, but also because we really do see ourselves on the forefront of an important shift in how people work and play on the internet.

And while it would be easy to call me out for self-aggrandizing puffery, an interesting post this week made by ‘Identity Woman’ Kaliya Hamlin reflecting on where identity management has been and where it is going throws some validation our way, which I’ll be perfectly honest, made me smile.

With next week’s IIW poised to bring together people from all walks of life and experience for a handful of days to talk shop about the internet’s identity layer, the crux of Hamlin’s post was to look at the sorts of questions that have been answered over the last three years as OpenID has evolved, as well as to draw attention to the one key element she sees as lingering just outside the boundaries of certainty.

This hurdle, according to Hamlin, lies in how identity providers can make money, something Vidoop has already done.

Vidoop has solved this seemingly unsolvable equation through its advertising-supported dynamic image grid, which not only eliminates or subsidizes the costs normally associated with multi-factor login security, but also gives companies, as well as Vidoop a viable revenue stream. This advertising model is particularly well-suited for larger companies, such as AOL or Microsoft, where Vidoop provides the grid with embedded advertisements among the included image selections, which is then integrated within their existing login infrastructure. The solution is simple, lightweight, and extremely cost effective. In fact, in many cases it costs the company absolutely nothing.

It strikes me as interesting that while other companies continue to look for their opportunity to become self-sustaining as identity providers, Vidoop has turned the corner, providing a secure, convenient authentication solution that instead of being a cost drain can instead become a profit center.