Open Athens Workshops - Moving Forward Feb Mar 2009

Access & Identity ManagementMoving Forward with OpenAthens

Keith Dixon – OpenAthens Workshops Feb/March 2009

Agenda

Where have we got to with OpenAthens?

Where do we want to go?

What are we doing to get there?

What’s the next step (in 2009)?

What will it cost?


OpenAthens is a framework of software and services for Access and Identity Management

AND

Uniquely for UK HE/FE institutions there is a subscription to OpenAthens that provides unlimited access to ALL of the software and services that make up the OpenAthens framework


• What are the key benefits of the OpenAthens offer to UK HE/FE

– Simple to budget, annual fees plus technology flexibility

– Quick & easy implementation– Low operating costs– Fit with available library/IT expertise– Easy to change– Low risk

• Plus– Maintenance, support and development

included


• What are the components of OpenAthens?– OpenAthens MD

• MD = Managed Directory– OpenAthens LA

• LA = Local Authentication– OpenAthens SP

• SP = Service Provider

• Plus– MyAthens

• A learner/research resource discovery/management tool

AthensIdentityBroker

ManagedDirectory

OpenAthens opens up the Athens Architecture…

ServiceProviders

using Athens

ServiceProviders

using Athens

ServiceProviders

using Athens

ServiceProviders

using Athens

InstitutionUsing

AthensDA

Local AuthenticationAthensDA + Identity Broker

AthensManaged Directory + Identity Broker

… to Federated Access Management (eg. the UK federation)….

ServiceProviders

using Shibboleth

InstitutionUsing

Shibboleth

UK FederationWAYF

UK FederationWAYF

InstitutionUsing

Shibboleth

… and provides both software and service solutions

ServiceProviders

using Athens

ServiceProviders

using Athens

ServiceProviders

using Athens

ServiceProviders

using Athens

ServiceProvider

using Shibboleth

OpenAthens SubscriptionShibboleth + OpenAthens Identity Broker

Op

en

Ath

en

s SP

1.1

AthensModule

ShibModule

AthensIdentityBroker

ManagedDirectory

InstitutionUsing

AthensDA

InstitutionUsing

OpenAthens LA

Op

en

Ath

en

s LA

2.0

AthensModule

ShibModule

OpenAthens

IdentityBroker

ManagedDirectory


• Open and Standards Compliance

– OpenAthens LA, MD and SP - flexibility

– Low, predictable costs – local authentication and hosted options in one package

• Administrator Usability & Tools

– Easy non-IT user and entitlement management

– Familiar and easy to use

• Learner/Researcher Usability & Tools

– Basic Resource Discovery and Management

– Easy integration with library systems

How are people using OpenAthens?

• OpenAthens LA

– Easy local authentication to both Athens and Shibboleth resources, fully-supported and easy to budget

• OpenAthens MD

– Some institutions host ALL users • Limited scale, limited use, limited IT resource• Easy/quick set-up• Retain library control

– Others host SOME users (using OpenAthens LA or Shib with a local LDAP directory for the majority)

• Walk-in users, affiliated institution users • Back up to local authentication

• MyAthens

– As Library A-Z/integrated with Library portal– Low, predictable costs as part of OpenAthens subscription

Where do we want to get to?

• For institutions – Continue to increase value and reduce risk

– Greater choice– Keep costs predictable and low– Future-proofing

• For IT and Library Administrators – Increase capability and reduce workload

– Increase usability• Configuration and management in IT• Resource entitlement and ad-hoc users in

Library– More functionality

Where do we want to get to?

• Close engagement with HE/FE IT and Library needs

– External – collaboration and resource access

– Internal – identity, entitlement management and provisioning

• Close engagement with Access and Identity Management developments

– Federation standards and technologies

– User-centric standards and technologies

• Close engagement with Learner/Researchers needs

– Usability

– Integration with Resource Discovery

What are the next step? (in 2009)

• Openness and Standards Compliance

– OpenAthens LA and SP

– Ease of Install and Management

• Administrator Usability & Tools

– Processes & Interface

– Diagnostics and Statistics

• Learner/Researcher Usability & Tools

– Usability

– Resource Discovery and Management


• More Resources– Development

– Services

• More Events– Workshops

• Product Development Advisory Groups– OpenAthens MD

– OpenAthens LA 2.0

• Alpha Test programmes

• Beta Test programmes


• Major functionality releases

– OpenAthens LA 2.0

• Minor functionality releases

– Admin Tools

– MyAthens

– OpenAthens SP 1.3

• Compliance, servicing and bug fixes

– UK Fed Compliance

OpenAthens LA

• OpenAthens LA 1.0 = AthensDA PLUS access to Shibboleth (UK fed) resources via OpenAthens gateway functionality

• OpenAthens LA 2.0 – Based on the same platform as OpenAthens SP– Multi-platform/language support– Athens, SAML 1.1,2.0 (Shibboleth 1.3, 2.0) module

• OpenAthens LA 2.0 SysAdmin/Admin Tools

– Easy install, configuration, management for IT

– Easy user-entitlement admin/management for Librarians

OpenAthens MD

• OpenAthens MD 1.0 = Athens PLUS access to Shibboleth (UK fed) resources via OpenAthens gateway functionality

• OpenAthens MD 1.1

– Maintaining UK Fed compliance (Feb)

• OpenAthens MD 2.0

– Refine self-registration

– Refining fine-grained authorisation support

– Multi-federation support?

• Requirements?

Administrator Usability and Tools

Focus on Administrator Interface and Toolbars

• April 2009– Interface Update – more intuitive

• Paging tables for lists of users

• Quick multiple account creation

– Graphical statistics

– Shibboleth statistics and basic diagnostics

• Oct 2009– More configurable?

• Commonly used functions?

• Service status, maintenance notices, diagnostics

– Admin Toolbar?

– April 2009• Improve accessibility (eg style chooser for visually

impaired)

• Increase Admin/User configurablility including

– Generic search panels and HTML editing for custom content

– Ability to add non-Athens resources to the resources list (eg. Shibboleth)

– October 2009• Manage configuration of toolbar?

• Toolbar Single-Sign-On to ALL resources (IdP discovery)?

• “Add to MyAthens” button for library and service provider web sites?

Learner & Researcher Usability and Tools

OpenAthens SP

Used by Service Providers - Available as part of UK HE/FE OpenAthens subscription

• April 2009 - Multi-protocol support

– OpenAthens SP 1.3 - Athens, SAML 1.1/2.0 (Shibboleth 1.3/2.0) OpenID, Cardspace

• Dec 2009 - OpenAthens SP 2.0 – SysAdmin/Admin Tools?

– Multi-federation support?

• OpenAthens SP 2.0 – SURFNet, InCommon, CRU (French Federation)..?

Services and Support

• Service Desk Web Interface – Feedback?

• Dec 2009 - v2.0 – integration, usability and configurability

– Service Information?• Service availability, overall statistics• Institution specific statistics

– Administrator Forum/Knowledgebase?• sharing service knowledge• answers to current/common issues• monitoring and input from Tech Support

What will it cost?

• Includes new product developments

• Fixed for those who signed in 2008/09 for 3 years

• 3% increase for 2009/10 renewals

• Still JISC-Banded (until 2011)

JISC Band 2009/10 Fee

A £8,320

B £7,440

C £6,570

D £5,690

E £4,820

F £3,940

G £3,060

H £2,190

I £1,310

J £700

How do I continue to subscribe?

• March – commitment/data retention permission

– Commitment will trigger invoicing

– Retention permission allows non-subscriber’s data to be retained after the end of the subscription as a safety-net.

• May 31st – commitment reminder

• June 30th – invoices sent (as appropriate)

• July 31st – Non-subscriber data deleted unless permission given to retain until Oct 31st

Does this all make sense to you?

Q&A

Summary


- Unique package for UK HE/FE

Where do we want to go?

- Increase value, reduce IT/Lib workload


- Development investment & engagement

What’s the next step (in 2009)?

- OpenAthens LA 2.0, Admin & MyAthens

What will it cost?

- JISC-banded, 3% increase over 2008

Technology

Open Athens Workshops - Moving Forward Feb Mar 2009