Mark writes:

JISC has just issued an ITT for third parties experienced in access management to bid to provide support to institutions who want to deploy a IdP. You might say that such support is already there, and to a degree much of it is. Particulary if you are an Institution employing an IT staff with the correct skill set, have an organised directory service, a significant subscription to JISC Collections resources and the strategic ambition to move forward on access management. However, and it is a big HOWEVER, its clear that there are enough institutions who can use the business case toolkit to determine that they want access management (and I mean the 100% proof type, not devolved outsourcing to a delegated authority), but who have also determined that its currently financially / technically out of reach. It is that group of institutions, which the successfull respondent to the ITT will be working with. The time will come for such institutions to submit applications for the help that the project will provide, but for the present - if you are a third party provider of access management support, with a desire to spend long hours setting up IdPs in grateful institutions all over the country - we want YOUR interest. And remember we encourage questions……

Today is the 3rd Meeting of JIIE for 2007, and the Committee was particularly focusing on the Information Environment (IE) Strategy, and the Users and Innovation Programme. A common theme was whether or not the word ‘presentation’ that is currently used in the IE architecture is appropriate in the changing world, or whether we should be talking more about ‘user interaction’.

Presentation of course suggests something managed by the institution and pushed out to the students - rather than user-lead model suggested by interaction.

This highlights the changing role of the institution as a broker between students and services, rather than as an infrastructure provider to students. It also refocuses on the scenarios where institutions do act as Service Providers - both to their own students and to students, institutions and indeed businesses elsewhere.

Ian Dolphin asked a series of questions, one of which was around the role of access management in this changing environment. Some of my thoughts on this:

• Federated Access does not negate user-centric identity and access management, as I often see suggested. Institutions should broker access for their students where appropriate..and it such as an institution brokering access to licensed resources on behalf of the student. This can be completely compatible with a user-lead approach.
• Users cannot effectively manage their own identities as yet, or verify their own identities - institutions are effective brokers in this scenario. The role of the broker and trusted verifier is very important to all user-centric identity management systems such as OpenID and identity metasystems.
• Attributes provide an effective way of providing information to enable user interaction, particularly when moving away from the concept that their is a presentation ‘layer’. JISC will shortly be issuing an ITT looking at the role attributes can play in providing a personalised experience.

Thankfully, this all fits nicely with the forward look for access and identity management within JISC - which is always a relief!

Just watched the Australian Federation (Introduction to AAF federated access management) remake of the JISC Introduction to Federated Access Management animation.

Glad to say that it seemed more like a shot by shot remake, in the same way that Gus Van Sant remade Psycho, rather than the “re-envisioning” of Planet of the Apes that Tim Burton did.

There is a serious point though, a major rational for Federating around the SAML standard – is interoperability. The Oz remake (the country, not one featuring CGI flying monkeys), proves that we face similar problems and that we would seem to be on the right track with similar solutions.

Certainly makes the sentence, “an international standard”, far more meaningful….