FOCUS AREAS

Identity Management

Focus Areas:

Identification, authentication and authorisation

Anywhere access to the Internet and email has become routine, even for students, teachers and other staff who require dedicated applications. Wireless connections allow them to log onto networks with their own computers at basically any location. Identity management has been made an important theme within SURFfoundation in order to render this access as secure as possible. Unauthorised access to the information or the applications should not be allowed.

Identity management is all about:

Identification
Authentication
Authorisation

Identification

Identification means establishing the identity of a user who accesses the system.

Authentication

Authentication means establishing that someone is who he or she claims to be. This can be achieved using:

Information that is known to someone, such as an access code.
Objects that are in someone's possession, such as a smart card, a token or a mobile phone.

The more certain it is that these characteristics can only relate to the person in question, the stronger the authentication is.

It is an important goal for SURFfoundation to implement an authentication service not only for higher education, but for the entire education vertical. The latter is done through collaboration with Stichting Kennisnet ICT op School (the Kennisnet ICT at School Foundation). The education community consists of 3.5 million potential users.

Authorisation

Authorisation indicates what a person is allowed to do on a certain network. Can he only read files, for instance, or can he also alter them?

One area of attention for SURFfoundation is Library Access Management. Moreover it developed A-Select, state-of-the-art middleware for authentication.

SURFfoundation regularly organises seminars on the theme of identity management. It also produces background materials, including assessment reports and white papers.