Terms of Reference for the BCNET Identity Management Working Group, April 19, 2007

Introduction

In today's information society, a vast number of users require access to a growing labyrinth of networks and systems. As these users are able to connect, share and collaborate with each other, the process of protecting access to sensitive information becomes increasingly complex. Identity Management seeks to answer the demands of today's information society by seeking methods and strategies for appropriately recognizing users within a system, while providing convenience and simplicity for the user as well as efficiency and cost-effectiveness for the organization.

Purpose
As a working group under the direction of the Applications Advisory Committee (APAC), the group will seek to create a forum for inter-institutional discussion of identity management issues while encouraging the collaboration and exchange of ideas and information between BCNET member institutions, other provincial post-secondary educational institutions and provincial and federal public sectors, including government and health care authorities.

Membership
Chair - Lionel Tolan, SFU
Steve Beaudry, RRU
Blair Craft, UNBC
Leo de Soussa, BCIT
Jens Haeusser, UBC
Gary W. Sagert, UVic
Wes Cole, TRU
Corey Scholefield, UVic

Activities/Deliverables

Roles of Identity Management Group
• Create a forum for inter-institutional discussion of Identity Management issues
• Facilitate education for members of our communities of interest
• Identify common interests among institutions and support collaborative initiatives
• Engage vendors in community-wide Identity Management initiatives

Communities of Interest
• BCNET member institutions
• Provincial post-secondary educational institutions
• Provincial public sector
• Other public sectors

Topics of Interest
Institutional Authentication and Authorization
• Single Sign-on
• Issuance of online credentials
• Institutional policies surrounding the means of identifying the person
• Role-based access practices

Federated Authentication and Authorization
• Intra-institutional
• Shibboleth
• Radius
• Research IDs and Grids
• Libraries & roles
• Health authorities & roles
• Learning objects & roles

Certificate Services
• Certificate Authority
• PGP Public Key Repository
• Secure e-mail

Operations
The working group will meet at least three times each fiscal year. One of those meetings should be held coincident with the annual conference. All meetings will use videoconferencing for those members who are unable to attend at the BCNET office.

Agenda and prior meeting minutes will be distributed to members in advance of all meetings.

A chair will be appointed, assisted by a co-chair. The chair, or in his/her absence, the co-chair, will organize and run all meetings.

BCNET staff will be responsible for creating draft documents and meeting minutes.

The Identity Management Working Group chair will report to and advise the Applications Advisory Committee at regular intervals.

The working group is openly accessible to BCNET Board members, other working group members and staff.