One of the biggest challenges facing consumers, retailers and the U.S. government is how individuals secure an identity online. For Joe Public there aren’t too many options, but Equifax Inc. is trying to change that.

The Atlanta-based credit bureau has introduced Information Cards, or I-Cards, to help consumers prove their identity online, says Steve Ely, president of Equifax’s Personal Information Solutions. “It’s a portable solution that’s in control of the consumer and works across any type of login,” he says.

I-Cards aim to be the online version of a physical wallet. Instead of having to remember multiple user names and passwords to gain access to sites individuals would use an I-Card instead, Ely says. The Information Card Foundation, of which Equifax is a member, is trying to promote the use of these cards as a framework that work with existing standards, such as SAML, and federated identity schemes.