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Abstract

A view on the current situation for AAI in Europe with a particular focus on the UK and developments within the UK Access Management Federation and e-Infrastructure Programme that are relevant to the research community. The session will focus on practical lessons and map out where the future lies from the JISC’s perspective.

About the speaker

James Farnhill is a Programme Manager in the e-Research Team at the JISC (Joint Information and Systems Committee), based in the UK. He has primary responsibility for leading the development side of the Authentication and Authorisation Infrastructure (AAI) area both within research and across JISC Development Group. James’s background is within managing both large and small programmes to promote change through the use of ICT in both publicly- and privately-owned organisations across a range of sectors.

He currently manages the e-Infrastructure Security topic under the e-Infrastructure programme and the grid projects under the core middleware technology development programme. Key foci within these areas are:

• Integration of federated, SAML-based access with grid access (see SHEBANGS, ShibGrid);
• Developing technologies for appropriate levels of assurance and applying those (see FAME-PERMIS and ES-LoA);
• Management of identity both within and between institutions (see The Identity Project);
• Creation and management of virtual organisations (projects currently in startup phase);
• Development of advanced authorisation features, such as n-tier and data access;
• Integration of key organisations in grid security to promote adoption of AAI within the e-Science community;

James is also working with the programme manager of the Access Management Transition Programme (AMTP), Nicole Harris, to define JISC strategy and position on identity management and AAI across all of JISC’s Development Programmes.

Finally, James is chair of the e-Framework Working Group and takes a keen interest in software development methodologies and practices, which he is taking forward in the AAI area by reviewing how to map current projects into the e-Framework.