Use Cases

Shared wireless access

Students, faculty and staff can get Internet access not only at their own campus, but when visiting other member institutions – simply by opening their laptop.

Example: Two institutions share a campus and a wireless network, but provide appropriate services to their own users based on identity.

Collaborative research

Authorized researchers from multiple institutions can securely share access to systems and data sources – without an extra credentialing and authentication process.

Example: Cancer researchers from across the state share study data with each other, while preventing unauthorized access and complying with federal regulations.

Web single sign-on

Users can easily move between applications at their own institution or at other member institutions – using a single login.

Example: A consortium of colleges and universities provides a unified web portal for prospective students to select the 'best fit' academic program from among the consortium members.

Additional use cases under development

  • Students find it simpler to matriculate between schools, for example high school -> community college -> university -> graduate school
  • Onrush of adjunct faculty right before fall term
  • Identity-based attacks such as an attacker simultaneously logging into multiple schools with a single federated account and correlating between institutions
  • Identity-related usage of the Ohio Statewide Student Identifier (SSID)
  • Security and identity proofing at student registration and remote testing locations
  • Standardization and/or documentation of identity workflows, such as how long to keep students “active”
  • Ability to keep existing relations and not be forced to go through an intermediary trust broker
  • De-duplication: because many individuals currently have multiple ID’s within an institution, implement institutional practices to minimize this, and also identifiers across schools
  • Increase the maturity level at individual institutions