eduGain - a federation of federations

UK federation members (and other National Research and Education Network (NREN) organisation members) sometimes get communications regarding eduGain. What is this? A global server initiated by GÉANT in Europe it's purpose ".....is to interconnect identity federations and simplify access to content, services and resources for the global research and education community." It is not a legal entity in the normal meaning. In essence, comprises over 80 participant federations with more than 8,000 Identity and Service Providers in it. Nearly 27,000,000 students, researchers and educators access online services. The idea is to minimising the number of accounts users have to manage – reducing costs, complexity and security risks. There are over 4,500 identity providers, "so service managers can simplify their account management and control processes – allowing greater access at reduced cost". The membership covers most of Europe, the Americas, China and Australia. Details of participating countries can be found here. The main advantage in joining it is greater access to resources securely using an Identity Provider for users and a bigger audience for Service Providers. If your organisation is a member of the UK federation members, you'll already have these advantages. Outside of the UK, you'll need to ask your NREN (National Research and Education Network ). Any questions about eduGain from the UK need to be redirected through the UKFAM.