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Working Groups Tackling Tomorrow’s IAM Challenges

Join focused teams exploring emerging technologies, developing specifications, and creating solutions that advance the entire research and education community.

While our advisory committees provide ongoing governance, InCommon’s working groups dive deep into specific challenges and opportunities. These collaborative teams bring together passionate experts to solve real-world identity and access management problems—from federation readiness to next-generation credentials.

Where Innovation Meets Implementation

InCommon working groups are the engine of our community’s innovation. These focused teams of volunteers tackle specific technical challenges, develop new standards, and create practical solutions that benefit institutions of all sizes. Whether you’re interested in federation architecture, security frameworks, software integration, or regional collaboration, there’s a working group where your expertise can make a real difference. Most groups meet weekly or bi-weekly via video conference, making it easy to contribute regardless of your location.

A group of professionals engaging in a work discussion.

How Working Groups Operate

Structure & Support: Working groups are chartered by InCommon advisory committees or community organizations. Each group has clear objectives, dedicated leadership, and support from Internet2 staff liaisons who help facilitate progress and maintain momentum.

Open Participation: Most working groups welcome any community member interested in contributing. You don’t need special qualifications—just passion for solving IAM challenges and willingness to collaborate with peers facing similar issues.

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Federation & Trust Working Groups
Software Integration Working Groups
Architecture & Standards Working Groups
Community & Regional Working Groups
Federation & Trust Working Groups

These groups focus on federation operations, trust frameworks, and security protocols that enable secure collaboration across institutions.

Active Groups:

Federation Readiness Check Working Group

  • Focus: Developing tools and processes to help institutions prepare for federation participation
  •  Chair: Joanne Boomer, University of Missouri
  • Meeting: Check group page for current schedule

Federation Proxies Working Group

  • Focus: Addressing proxy authentication challenges in federated environments
  • Chair: Derek Eiler, University of Nebraska Systems
  • Meeting: Check group page for current schedule

SIRTFI Exercise Working Group

  • Focus: Security incident response coordination and exercises
  • Chair: Kyle Lewis, RDCT
  • Meeting: Check group page for current schedule
Software Integration Working Groups

These groups develop integration strategies and best practices for IAM software implementations across the R&E community

Active Groups:

InCommon midPoint Working Group

  • Focus: Supporting midPoint identity management deployments
  • Chairs: Keith Hazelton (Internet2), Ethan Kromhout (UNC Chapel Hill)
  • Meeting: Alternating Fridays, 10 AM ET

PeopleSoft Integration Working Group

  • Focus: IAM integration strategies for PeopleSoft environments
  • Meeting: Check group page for current schedule

BTAA Provisioning & De-Provisioning

  • Focus: Account lifecycle management best practices
  • Partners: Big Ten Academic Alliance & TIER
  • Meeting: Check group page for current schedule
Architecture & Standards Working Groups

These groups shape the technical architecture and standards that underpin secure identity management across research and education.

Active Groups:

Linking SSO Working Group

  • Focus: Developing standards for linking single sign-on systems
  • Meeting: Check group page for current schedule

Assured Access Working Group (AAWG2)

  • Focus: Next-generation assured access frameworks
  • Meeting: Check group page for current schedule

CACTI Next-Generation Credentials Trust Frameworks

  • Focus: OpenID Federation profiling for R&E
  • Meeting: Check group page for current schedule
Community & Regional Working Groups

Community-chartered groups bring together professionals with shared interests or regional connections to collaborate on IAM challenges.

Active Groups:

IAM Pros Rocky Mountain Region

  • Focus: Regional collaboration for Rocky Mountain area institutions
  • Community-Led: Open to all regional IAM professionals
  • Meeting: Check group page for current schedule
  •  

ITANA (IT Architecture)

  • Focus: Enterprise IT architecture for higher education
  • Community: IT architects and planners
  • Meeting: Various subgroups meet regularly

IAM-HER

  • Focus: Identity and access management in healthcare and research
  • Website: iam-her.org

Start Contributing Today

Joining a working group is simple and open to all InCommon community members.

Steps to Get Involved:

  1. Browse Active Groups: Review the working groups above to find topics that match your interests and expertise
  2. Contact the Chair: Reach out to the group chair or Internet2 liaison for meeting details
  3. Join the Mailing List: Subscribe to the group’s email list to stay informed
  4. Attend a Meeting: Most groups welcome observers—join a call to see if it’s a good fit
  5. Start Contributing: Share your insights, volunteer for tasks, and help drive solutions

Need Help? Email help@incommon.org for assistance with wiki access, mailing lists, or other working group support.

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Why Join a Working Group?

Member Benefits:

  • Solve Real Problems: Work on challenges directly impacting your institution
  • Build Your Network: Connect with peers facing similar IAM challenges
  • Influence Standards: Help shape specifications and best practices
  • Professional Growth: Develop expertise in emerging technologies
  • Flexible Participation: Contribute as much or as little as your schedule allows
  • Make an Impact: Your contributions benefit thousands of institutions globally

Active Working Group Initiatives

Our working groups are currently tackling some of the most pressing challenges in identity and access management:

Recent Accomplishments:

  • Federation readiness assessment tools now used by 200+ institutions
  • SIRTFI framework adopted for security incident response
  • midPoint deployment guides reducing implementation time by 40%
  • Regional IAM communities established in 5 geographic areas

Current Focus Areas:

  • Next-generation authentication frameworks
  • Cloud service integration patterns
  • Zero-trust architecture adoption
  • Automated provisioning standards
  • Privacy-preserving identity solutions

Working Group Spotlight: Federation Readiness

Success Story: The Federation Readiness Check Working Group developed a comprehensive assessment tool that helps institutions evaluate their preparedness for joining InCommon Federation. Since launch, over 200 institutions have used this tool to identify gaps and create implementation roadmaps.

Impact Quote: “The readiness checklist saved us months of preparation time and helped us avoid common pitfalls. We went from assessment to production federation participant in just 6 months.”

Attribution: IT Director, Regional University

Working Group Resources

Documentation & Guides:

  • Working Group Charter Template
  • Chair & Flywheel Guidelines
  • Meeting Best Practices
  • Decision Documentation Standards

Communication Tools:

  • Wiki Access & Training
  • Mailing List Management
  • Video Conference Setup
  • Collaboration Platforms

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