Sometimes, I write a post for myself; other times, I write it for one of the communities I work with. In my latest post, "Is There a Future for REFEDS and R&E Federations?", posted on the REFEDS website, I talk about the current state of academic identity federation and whether it's time to move forward ... or transition to an entirely new model. If you're involved in identity federation or just curious about where it's heading, this one's for you! Here are 3 key points from the post: • The Shift from SAML: SAML has been great, but it’s outdated and unmaintained. The move towards newer protocols like OpenID Connect and OAuth is gaining momentum, and we need to start planning our transition. • Verifiable Credentials on the Rise: Governments and institutions are increasingly adopting verifiable credentials. As these become more prevalent, our existing systems will need to adapt—or risk being left behind. • The Role of REFEDS: It’s time to reexamine how REFEDS fits into this new environment. Should we continue on our current path, or is it time to align our efforts with broader initiatives? I’d love to hear your thoughts—what do you think the future holds for academic identity federation? 🤔 (A link to the post is in the comments!) #federation #digitalidentity #REFEDS #highered
Really useful post, thank you Heather, especially for those of us thinking about how to replace IP authentication if (big if!) browser privacy changes make it untenable. You would presumably argue against a mass move to Shibboleth in such a scenario... unless Shibboleth moves on from SAML...
Great post, Heather. I was honestly shocked by the parlous state of federations revealed in REFED's 2022 survey (and depressed by the news that the survey was being discontinued for lack of response). I can imagine a path where a significant portion of the community can migrate to the more modern architecture you've advocating and bypass SAML (akin to traditional internet infrastructure being bypassed by mobile access in Africa). But struggle to see how it will happen practically when decision making across so much of our community is hampered by a lack of resources and skills. This is a really important conversation to foster ... Here's a link to that survey if anyone's interested: https://refeds.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/refeds-survey-2022-results.pptx
Link to the post: https://refeds.org/a/2984