Yes, SQL. If you keep your raw data in SQL, it is easy to export data to any format you might need now or in the future. LDAP gets you a long way, but you will sooner or later end up with several apps that don't support it. The result is horrible password sync hacks, multiple passwords per user, etc.

The idea is to put raw user info in SQL, including their clear-text password. Of course, lock down that SQL server like you've never locked down anything before! It should have a very limited interface for updating user data. Next, export user data to relevant external databases such as LDAP, NIS, SASL, that obscure sqlite app, Kerberos, DMZ services, etc, and you'll have much less pain keeping everything in sync.

An implementation of this scheme is running on many of the biggest universities in Norway, and is called Cerebrum, http://www.cerebrum.usit.uio.no/english.html. User administration happens through a frontend interface appropriately named BOFH, where users and admins can change data in a secure manner. Users can change certain of their own attributes, while admins have more power. It's worth checking out (although their sf.net wiki seems to be down at the moment, unfortunately).

If you want to increase the number of Women in IT I suggest changing your focus.

Indeed. And on that same topic, I don't think the article is much of a motivator. I mean, they sure are women and they sure are in IT, but given their managerial positions and titles, it seems to me that they are clearly not nerds (not anymore at least), and thus are not "in" IT, so to speak. I.e., they could probably easily switch jobs to positions in non-IT industries without much effort. This is of course not specific to women, mind you.

I'm usually put off by high-flying executive-speak, or similar comments with slight touches of elitism. I'm sure it works perfectly fine for them and it's probably swell, but it doesn't do anything for me. And I'm surely not alone here. Executive positions are easily outnumbered by the lower-level techie ones, so it would make sense to shift the motivational perspective towards normal jobs and positions, not the high-gain ones. At least when we're talking about people just starting in the business.