Middleware is software that manages the interaction between an application program, and other software or the network. A key area in this expansive field, particularly as it relates to higher education, is access management and identity management. The Internet2 Middleware Initiative has focused on developing an interoperable Identity and Access Management infrastructure for research and education, which is critical for security and collaboration.

Partnering with the Internet2 Middleware Initiative since 1998, the Middleware Architecture Committee for Education (MACE) provides the primary technology direction and development guidance for the initiative. Consisting of a group of U.S. and international higher-education IT architects, MACE was formed to investigate the creation of a national interoperable identity and access management infra-structure for the U.S. research and education community that would fit into a global context.

The Applications, Middleware, and Services Advisory Council (AMSAC) also works with the Internet2 Middleware Initiative to advise the Internet2 board and management on matters relating to the support and adoption of applications, middleware, security, and other capabilities across the Internet2 membership and its collaborators around the globe. AMSAC provides advice on Internet2's efforts to support applications and middleware for teaching and learning, as well as for research, and for advice on the investment of resources for current and future initiatives.

How does the work get done?

The Internet2 Middleware Initiative and MACE initially developed a model for identity and federated identity management. From there, MACE worked with the Internet2 community to define the gaps and address those specific issues by:

• Developing software and tools, such as the Shibboleth Federated Single Sign-on Software.
  
  
• Collecting the best community practices, then developing roadmaps to help campuses deploy interoperable implementations. Examples include the directory practice papers and related Enterprise Directory Implementation Roadmap.
  
  
• Participating in standards-setting organizations to address interoperability. Examples include eduPerson schema and Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML).
  
  
• Partnering with others to promote their tools and software. Examples include the PERMIS Privilege Management Software and CoSign web single sign-on system.
  
  
• Providing educational opportunities for the broader community. Examples include the InCommon Campus Architecture and Middleware Planning (CAMP) workshops.

Since 2001, the Internet2 Middleware Initiative has also led the technical activities of the NSF Middleware Initiative - Enterprise and Desktop Integration Technologies Consortium (NMI-EDIT) of Internet2 and EDUCAUSE to build and promulgate this interoperable infrastructure. (Grant No. OCI-0123937, OCI-0330626, and OCI-0721896)

For more information, contact: i2mi-info@internet2.edu.