!!! Overview[1]
[{$pagename}] ([SCIM]) are [IETF] specifications was created to simplify user management in the cloud by defining a schema for representing users and groups and a [REST] API for all the necessary [CRUD] operations.

[{$pagename}] specifications are published as publications by the [Internet Engineering Taskforce|Internet Engineering Task Force] ([IETF]) as [RFC 7643] and [RFC 7644].

The [{$pagename}] specification suite seeks to build upon experience with existing schemas and deployments, placing specific emphasis on simplicity of development and integration, while applying existing [authentication], [authorization], and [privacy model]s. 

[{$pagename}] intent is to reduce the cost and complexity of [Identity Lifecycle Management] operations by providing a common user [schema] and extension model, as well as binding documents to provide patterns for exchanging this schema using standard protocols. In essence: make it fast, cheap, and easy to move users in to, out of, and around the cloud.

[{$pagename}] data can be encoded as a [SCIM Object] in [JSON] or [XML] encoding both defined within the specification.

[Service Provisioning Markup Language] ([SPML]) was an XML-based framework that was approved in 2003 that addressed the same issues. However the difficulties in implementations led to low adoption of the standard.
[{$pagename}] was created to address some of the [SPML] issues and uses [REST] and [JSON]

[{$pagename}] protocol is a client-server model [protocol].
A [SCIM Client] initiates a communication to a [SCIM Server|SCIM Service Provider] which then modifies the target user store as required.

A given Entity could be either a [SCIM Client] or a [SCIM Server|SCIM Service Provider] for any given transaction; however, the same entity could be both a [SCIM Client] AND a [SCIM Server|SCIM Service Provider] depending on who initiates the transaction.

!! What is SCIM?[2]
Enterprises are extremely distributed — applications and data are sent and stored all over the place, from cloud servers, parter systems, to internal servers. Throughout a scattered environment, it’s easy to lose control of where the data is. But as data [privacy] becomes more and more a heated issue, regaining control of [identity|Digital Identity] is a top priority

[{$pagename}] has been created as a way to standardize how companies create, update, and delete identity data — a standard for the life cycle management of online [identity|Digital Identity] by allowing a standard method for exchanging [identity|Digital Identity] to other partners or systems.

SCIM is a lightweight provisioning protocol that specifically defines two things:
* Scheme - the identity profile could be a user, group, machine, or other resource entity. SCIM defines what those resources look like and how they are structured.
* Protocol - the method of transport; how do we send user data to different systems? 
Standardized by the [Internet Engineering Task Force] ([IETF]), contributors and/or implementation to the for [{$pagename}] include organizations like:
* [Nexus]
* [Oracle]
* [SailPoint]
* [Salesforce]
* [Google]
* [Cisco]
* [Ping Identity]
* [Microsoft]
* [SLACK|https://api.slack.com/scim|target='_blank']
It seems like the [{$pagename}] standard is getting the hype and involvement it deserves, indicating a roadmap to future ubiquity.

!! [SCIM 2.0] 
[SCIM 2.0] as [RFC 7643] ([SCIM Core Schema]) and [RFC 7644] ([SCIM Protocol]) as well as [SCIM Use Cases] as [RFC 7642].
!! Why [SCIM]?
[Why It’s (SCIM) More Important, and More Simple, Than You Think|http://www.slideshare.net/kpgrizzle/scim-37180871|target='_blank']

!! [{$pagename}] [Endpoints]
* [SCIM Available Endpoints]
* [SCIM Service Provider Configuration Endpoints]

!! More Information
There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:
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* [#1] - [SCIM|http://www.simplecloud.info/|target='_blank'] - based on data observed:2015-05-18
* [#2] - [SCIM: Building the Identity Layer for the Internet|http://nordicapis.com/scim-building-the-identity-layer-for-the-internet/|target='_blank'] - based on data observed:2015-05-18