By Ann West, Executive Director, InCommon and AVP, Trust & Identity, Internet2
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Remember when logging into different university systems felt like you needed a password manager just for your password managers? Those days are becoming history, thanks to InCommon’s ambitious Futures 2 strategy launched in March 2024. As we mark the one-year milestone, let’s explore how this engaged, peer-driven identity and access management (IAM) community is enhancing the digital landscape for research and education (R&E).
Breaking Down Barriers with Course Sharing
The landscape of higher education is evolving, and InCommon is leading the way. Through a groundbreaking partnership with the Interactive Distance Education Alliance (IDEA), we’ve brought together 20 institutions to tackle one of higher ed’s most pressing challenges: seamless access to shared academic programs.
Imagine this: Students at University A enrolls in an online course at University B, and they’re instantly granted access. No extra logins, no IT support tickets, just learning. Through innovative toolkits and frameworks, InCommon has made single sign-on across learning management systems a reality. What makes this initiative particularly successful is the comprehensive approach – gathering input from the InCommon community of; IT professionals, faculty members, and administrators to ensure the solution works for everyone involved.
Streamlining Federal Compliance
When it comes to federal grants and research, security isn’t optional. InCommon has been working closely with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) to ensure that researchers can focus on their work instead of wrestling with authentication systems. We’re helping institutions navigate the complex world of federal compliance, particularly around new multi-factor authentication requirements for research.gov and other federal resources. Read more here.
Innovating with the Community
InCommon engages the community to deliver practical solutions for R&E that make a real difference. We’ve introduced powerful new tools like the System Sketcher, helping institutions visualize and document their IAM architecture. Think of it as creating architectural blueprints for digital security.
Professional development has also taken center stage through the InCommon Academy, ensuring that best practices spread throughout the community. This focus on training the next generation of identity practitioners has been crucial in expanding engagement and building a stronger IAM community.
Driving Innovation Forward
As Chris Misra, CIO at UMass Amherst and the InCommon Steering Committee Chair, puts it – identity management isn’t just another IT system anymore. It has become as essential as electricity in modern higher education. Whether you’re running an ERP system, managing online courses, or collaborating across institutions, solid IAM is the foundation everything else builds upon.
To that end, InCommon continues to foster innovation in IAM through multiple channels:
- Regular community working groups and advisory committees that bring together the brightest minds in the field
- Strategic partnerships with corporate catalysts providing integration services
- Development of tools and frameworks supporting inter-organizational collaboration
- Enhanced data collection and analysis capabilities to better understand tool usage and community needs
- Laser focus on solving real problems with practical solutions
Get Involved in Innovation
The future of academic identity management is being written right now, and you can be part of it. Want to learn more or get involved? Visit the InCommon website for more details, or better yet, join the community at the upcoming Internet2 Community Exchange in Anaheim, CA (April 28 – May 1, 2025).
Because in the end, InCommon isn’t just managing identities –we’re building bridges between institutions, making education more accessible, and ensuring that the only thing students and researchers have to worry about is their actual work, not how to access it. All of this is possible through InCommon’s commitment to offering IAM solutions and toolkits customized for R&E, providing clear guidance and support with flexible pathways, and facilitating an innovation hub for sharing and shaping the future of IAM.
With growing participation and evolving needs in the research and education community, InCommon remains committed to providing the trust framework, tools, and guidance needed for secure, scalable identity and access management. Innovation in academic identity management isn’t just coming – it’s already here.
Learn more about InCommon’s Year of Moving R&E Forward
Check out the recording and slides from January IAM Online, “One Year In: InCommon’s Future.”