Fostering a Shared Trust Framework
InCommon, the first online authentication federation in the United States, fosters collaboration and innovation by allowing higher education institutions and their partners to share information and resources securely while preserving the privacy of users. Built on Shibboleth® technology, InCommon provides a shared trust framework for organizations to make decisions about allowing access to protected resources. With development begun during 2003, and full-scale operations expected to begin in the first half of 2005, the incorporation of InCommon as a limited liability company was a key milestone during 2004.
While Internet2 initiated InCommon, an independent InCommon Steering Committee with members representing both higher education institutions and online resource providers has been established to provide oversight and guidance. In developing and providing operational support for InCommon, Internet2 has extended its business process capabilities. These enhanced capabilities have already benefited other Internet2 programs and initiatives.
Another important milestone during 2004 was the creation of a Certificate Authority (CA), which anchors the trust infrastructure that supports InCommon by guaranteeing assertions about an individual's identity. A ceremony creating the CA was held in March 2004 and documented as a part of the verifiability of trust processes for the federation. The CA, along with Shibboleth technology and a formal organization, have provided the key building blocks for InCommon to provide service to the Internet2 community.
With a firm foundation in place, the next critical phase of InCommon's development was extensive testing of operational processes and policies in a planned early deployment. Beginning in October 2004, nearly a dozen institutions, including Internet2 universities and resource providers, participated in a full-scale run-through of InCommon operations. They tested, evaluated, and provided valuable feeback on the application, metadata submission, and certificate processes.
These contributions and extensive involvement by the Internet2 community set the stage for the full deployment of InCommon during 2005. With federated authorization being ever more broadly anticipated and deployed both internationally and in the commercial world, InCommon will assure Internet2 members are full participants in this critical new online infrastructure.