Australian Sensitive Data Interest Group Meeting 26: Trust and Identity Framework

About the Event

We’re holding the 25th meeting of the Australian Sensitive Data Interest Group (AUSDIG). AUSDIG provides an opportunity for anyone interested in discussing the challenges and strategies for managing sensitive data.

Identity and access management has always been a critical component of digital research infrastructure. In modern research infrastructure, there is a need for it to be more than just a username, password and access controls. In 2019, the Australian Access Federation (AAF) developed Making the Case – a proposal to elevate identity and access management into trust and identity (T&I).

T&I is more than giving a digital identity permission to access a digital resource. It builds and manages trusted relationships between users and research infrastructures. It is fundamental infrastructure that will create significant advances for Australian researchers. The AAF and fellow NCRIS facilities are collaboratively building a T&I Framework that includes common policies, standards and technologies, enabling researchers to enjoy a more cohesive network of services. The goal of the project is to create a standard approach to T&I across the NCRIS system.

The AAF is partnering with the NCRIS community to pilot and implement a T&I Framework which has been successfully adopted internationally by large research communities such as the:

• Worldwide Large Hadron Collider Computing Grid
• Cherenkov Telescope Array
• European Life Science Research Infrastructures.

This AUSDIG meeting will feature a presentation showing how the AAF and NCRIS facilities are taking a system-wide approach to T&I, and how this will improve connectivity across the research infrastructure ecosystem. We will also show how the T&I Framework is enhancing the cyber security of NCRIS and powering global connectivity.

Speakers

Sarah Nisbet

Sarah is the Head of eResearch at the AAF. She is responsible for creating a national trust and identity strategy to deliver a more joined up and seamless research infrastructure ecosystem.

Leading the AAF’s eResearch Portfolio, Sarah works closely with research communities and research infrastructure providers to develop and implement a trust and identity framework for a more connected and secure NCRIS system. For more than 10 years she has been successfully leading teams to deliver national computational and data infrastructure to multiple research domains including life science, environmental science, and humanities, arts and social science.

Sarah has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Adelaide.

Nick Rossow

Nick is a Portfolio Manager at the AAF. He is a results driven technologist who loves working in the eResearch sector driving innovation and the adoption of best practice.

Recording

A recording of this event is now available:

Further Resources

• Trust and Identity for National Research Infrastructure

Do you have questions about this event? Email [email protected].