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CASE STUDY CLOSE UP
Two times is definitely the charm.The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, participated in both the 2021 and 2023 cohorts of the Collaboration Success Program (CSP) as part of efforts to find a replacement for its15-year-old core IDM system (Read the case study.)
“This was our second CSP. In this one (2023), we were more careful about goals and did achieve our objectives,” said Stephen Battisti, enterprise architect, UMass Amherst Information Technology Leadership Team. “This time, we took a long-term view. We know we don’t have the right resources in place to do everything [we want], and that’s part of our journey.”
Another key component of the university’s journey has been making connections. UMass Amherst began the 2023 CSP cohort with the intention of developing relationships with other institutions in the program and the InCommon Catalyst Program to gather support for IAM projects. The networking part of the CSP held enormous value for UMass Amherst during both CSP cohorts. As Battisti noted, “We joined the CSP with the hopes of connecting to partners, which has been invaluable for us.”
For instance, UMass Amherst began the program without a dedicated IAM team in place and was able to learn from other CSP participants how to structure a new IAM team by examining the examples of the other institutions.
“The CSP was worth everything we paid for it,” Battisti said. “I would recommend it. Our goal was, in the end, to figure out our architecture long term. And, we know that now.” (Read the case study.)
About University of Massachusetts Amherst
UMass Amherst is the largest public research university in New England. The institution has approximately 23,000 undergraduate students and more than 1,400 full-time faculty. The university’s IGA team manages 95,000 active accounts within a customized person and entity registry, including students, employees, retirees, guests, and contractors.
About the CSP
CSP supports institutions’ identity and access management (IAM) goals through a cohort-driven program that promotes collaboration among participants, program alumni, seasoned community implementers, and subject matter experts. CSP welcomes organizations that embrace the IAM community to help flesh out their plans, identify what to tackle first, and get training and tailored support along the way. Interested in joining a future CSP cohort? Complete this form, and a member of our team will be in touch.