By Apryl Motley – Technical Writer & Communications Lead, Internet2 Trust and Identity/NET+ Service
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Just as the name implies, the InCommon Catalyst Program, now in its third year, was launched to bring added energy and expertise to the research and higher ed (R&E) community’s identity and access management (IAM) efforts. IAM professionals attending CAMP Week at the 2023 Internet2 Technology Exchange (TechEX23) this week in Minneapolis will experience that energy and expertise firsthand. InCommon Catalysts will be co-presenters at several sessions, working meetings, and demos during TechEX23. Here’s what attendees stand to learn from five of them:
1. The Value of Support – “Our goal is for attendees to gain an understanding that while the community is great for peer support and even technical guidance, if there is a need for more timely response, guidance, and/or issue resolution from a domain expert – there is help available,” said Charise Arrowood, executive director of business development at Unicon, about the session she’s moderating, “Relax and Listen to Peers.” She’ll be joined by Ethan Kromhout and Celeste Copeland from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
2. Browser Privacy and R&E Federated Authentication Use Cases – “I hope attendees will be able to make more sense of the various proposals, efforts, and implementations being broadly categorized under the ‘browser privacy’ umbrella and how they may impact the R&E community,” said Gary Windham, senior identity developer for Cirrus Identity. “The changes being proposed or, in some cases, already underway, could have far-reaching effects in the IAM space – particularly for R&E, where identity federation is so prevalent.” Along with his IAM colleagues, Judith Bush from OCLC and Scott Cantor from OSU, Gary is a co-presenter for “Browser Privacy: Benefit or Threat.”
3. Browser Privacy and R&E Federated Authentication Use Cases – “I hope attendees will be able to make more sense of the various proposals, efforts, and implementations being broadly categorized under the ‘browser privacy’ umbrella and how they may impact the R&E community,” said Gary Windham, senior identity developer for Cirrus Identity. “The changes being proposed or, in some cases, already underway, could have far-reaching effects in the IAM space – particularly for R&E, where identity federation is so prevalent.” Along with his IAM colleagues, Judith Bush from OCLC and Scott Cantor from OSU, Gary is a co-presenter for “Browser Privacy: Benefit or Threat.”
4. The Use of midPoint to Manage Authorized Access to eduroam Logs – InCommon Catalysts Evolveum and Provision IAM, in collaboration with Internet2, will deliver a live demonstration of using midPoint to manage authorized access to eduroam logs via Grafana/Loki. “I hope attendees learn how midPoint can be integral to a safe and secure environment by building integrations to platforms to not only help with account provisioning, but also to properly segregate data to enforce privacy,” offered Matt Growden, executive director of identity services at Provision IAM. He’ll be joined by co-presenters Stephen Fox, also from Provision IAM; Slaveck Licehammer of Evolveum, and Johnny Lasker and Paul Caskey of Internet2. Find out more at “eduroam Logs: Demo of Grafana with IAM.”
5. The Environmental Impact of Cloud Migrations – In collaboration with Keith Wessel, principal identity and access management specialist at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, along with Rob Carter, middleware architect at Duke University, InCommon Catalyst West Arete hopes to shed light on an often overlooked facet of cloud migrations: their environmental impact. As West Arete Community Lead Netta Caligari explained, “While our presentation may not be IAM-centric, the overarching theme is universal: making informed choices for a sustainable future. This conference, with its tracks spanning advanced networking, cloud technology, information security, research engagement, and of course, identity, is a testament to the collaborative spirit of the Internet2 and InCommon communities.” Be part of the discussion at “Cloudy with a Chance of Conservation.”
In addition to these sessions, there will be a joint session, Get to Know the InCommon Catalysts, on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. CT, where Catalysts will share a bit about who they are and the value they provide to research and higher education.
Why TechEX Is the Place to Be
InCommon Catalysts support the community throughout the year by serving on InCommon advisory committees and working groups, developing resources, and collaborating with each other and community members to develop strategic solutions.
But there’s something special about being at TechEX.
According to Cirrus Identity’s Gary Windham, “it is one of the best opportunities to learn from many R&E IAM ‘rock stars’ who have deep technical and architectural experience in this space.” West Arete’s Netta Caligari described TechEX as “an atmosphere where learning, sharing, and transformation for higher education converge. And all are welcome.”
“We highly recommend attending this conference to not only meet up with your comrades and peers but to build new relationships and hear how others are moving forward, and most of all, to contribute by sharing your experiences and needs,” noted Unicon’s Charise Arrowood. “It’s all about community, so join in and become part of it!”
SPG’s Benn Oshrin echoed these sentiments. “TechEX/CAMP Week is an important conference-style gathering for this community,” he said. “Not only is it a fantastic place to get caught up on the advances since last year’s conference, it also presents an opportunity to engage in and influence the development of the innovations and updates that will be worked on in the coming year.”
“This conference enables you to meet other like minded individuals and institutions that are trying to solve the same problems you are facing,” observed Provision IAM’s Matt Growden. “By meeting people and sharing experiences, you will gain invaluable insights that you can take back to your institution and immediately provide value.”
About the InCommon Catalyst Program
Catalysts are industry leaders and Internet2 members that actively contribute to identity and access management (IAM) within the research and education (R&E) community. These corporations and non-profit organizations offer a wide range of IAM support services – combining their knowledge of InCommon’s integrated service and software solutions and familiarity with the challenges and requirements specific to the R&E ecosystem.
To hone that insight, all Catalysts have been active in the InCommon community for more than one year; some have been with us for more than a decade. They participate in events, upskilling programs, and working groups. They also give back to the community in the form of documented resources, contributed code, and other services.
New this Year!
InCommon Catalysts Cirrus Identity, Moran Technology Group, Omnibond, Spherical Cow Group, and Unicon are Supporting Sponsors and will have a shared booth in the exhibit area. Stop by and see them!
Look for Catalysts During CAMP Week at TechEX23
InCommon Catalysts will be participating in several sessions, demos, and working meetings during TechEX23 in Minneapolis, Sept. 18–22:
- Relax and Listen to Your Peers
- COmanage Project Open Office Hours LIVE
- Risk in Complex R&E Environments – Tailored Cybersecurity Management Framework
- Get to Know the InCommon Catalysts
- Browser Privacy: Benefit or Threat
- IAM-HER (Women in IAM-Hi Ed & Research
- eduroam Logs: Demo of Grafana with IAM
- Cloudy with a Chance of Conservation
- REFEDS Assurance Framework 2.0 Release
- A Peek into the Future with IGA
- Enabling Single Logout in SATOSA
- COmanage Match This! Early Case Studies
- How to Sirtfi