Building Federations in APAN: What’s Worked? Nate Klingenstein Internet2 / Shibboleth Consortium / InCommon February 2012, APAN 33, Chiang Mai

Perspectives from far away Personal experiences and opinions only 2

Federation Components What are some ingredients? Technical knowledge and talent Policy Consensus and leadership Compelling applications (Chicken) Enough users (Egg) A business model Ideal mix is different in each country 3

Federations in America and Europe Very different funding models Different primary uses Somewhat different trust structures EU Privacy Laws Many mature federations Nearly complete coverage in some countries 4

General Lessons from America and Europe Consensus and mandate are important Almost no federation starts with this Find a few good early applications Every country and every situation is different But we are working towards convergence Watch for REFEDS recommendations 5

Starting Points in Asia Pacific Campus identity infrastructure is rare Usually, there is none A directory, when lucky Local infrastructure is a key part of federated identity Campuses have limited staff With limited time And limited money 6

Starting Points in Asia Pacific Few centralized organizations Usually just an NREN And the NREN is focused on networks But the NREN is often pretty competent APAN has a smaller focus than TERENA 7

What has worked well in APAN deployments? Active transfer of knowledge Technology, policy Centralized knowledge and talent There are exceptions to this rule Compensate for campuses until campuses develop more skills and infrastructure Might happen soon, might happen never 8

What has worked well in APAN deployments? Strong mandate And only one strong mandate; split mandates have derailed several countries Build it, and they will come The “killer app” is not necessary “Critical mass” is much more important Momentum Network effects 9

What has worked well in APAN deployments? Accommodation of special local requirements Grant-based funding model So far, at least 10

What has not worked as well for building federations? Cautious starts and half-interest Most federation benefits emerge at large scale Chicken egg problem solved with dedication (and brute force) Reinventing wheels We, globally, have many important failures 11

What has not worked as well for building federations? APAN Middleware Working Group Very wide focus can include many kinds of activities Mailing list quiet Partially my fault Accommodation of special local requirements 12

How do we grow now? Get federations started in countries where there are none; grow them where are Better coverage in Asia means a better deployment for everyone Find quick identity wins like federation with major SP’s, or certificate services 13

How do we grow now? Develop international links We have more and more shared students, shared research, shared applications They need shared identity Innovate with the global community And give back when you do something novel and generally useful 14

How do we grow now? Begin to develop international collaborations Shared students, shared research, shared applications 15

My Thanks to NII