FAQs List

We want to hear from you. If there’s a concept, challenge, or tool you’d like to see explored, reach out through our contact form or share ideas during events and community meet-ups. Your insights help shape future offerings.

Our instructors are experienced IAM professionals from across the research and education community, many of whom are actively implementing or supporting IAM systems. We choose instructors who bring deep technical knowledge, real-world experience, and a commitment to collaborative learning.

There are many ways to get involved! Join events like BaseCAMP and CAMP Week, attend meet-ups and roundtables, or contribute in community forums.

We offer several free resources to help you stay informed and connected:

• IAM Online – mostly-monthly free webinars on timely topics
• Thread Meetups and Roundtables – informal spaces to exchange ideas
• Resource Library – access to articles, slide decks, implementation stories, and more

No problem. You can submit an expression of interest, or explore alternative learning paths such as on-demand materials, related programs, or community-driven sessions. We also design new offerings based on demonstrated interest, so let us know what you need!

We provide several options to keep learners supported and engaged:

• Office hours with instructors
• Catalysts for implementation support
• Peer collaboration through community forums and meetups
• An informal alumni network that stays active across events and channels

Academy programs are directly aligned with InCommon’s core services. Training supports:

• Federation participation and readiness
• Service integration and software enablement
• Implementation best practices that strengthen your institution’s identity infrastructure and make the most of InCommon’s broader ecosystem.

Time commitments vary by program. See the details on a specific program page.

• On-demand content (like IAM Online webinars or self-paced Grouper training) can be accessed anytime.
• Most live training programs and workshops run multiple times a year so you can choose the session that best fits your schedule.

Yes — many multi-campus systems work with InCommon in flexible ways, whether by coordinating centrally or enabling each campus to engage individually. We can help you explore the best path for accessing our full range of services — including identity federation, global Wi-Fi (eduroam), IAM training and support, and open-source software implementation (Shibboleth, Grouper, midPoint, COmanage). Reach out to us.

Yes! InCommon serves colleges and universities across the U.S., from large research institutions to regional liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and everything in between. We also support campus systems, consortia, and collaborations across multiple states.

Yes! There are discounted rates for InCommon Participants but accelerators are open to everyone who can benefit.

Advisory committees provide ongoing governance and strategic direction for InCommon. Working groups focus on specific, often time-limited projects or challenges. Working groups typically report to advisory committees.

Working groups can be chartered by InCommon advisory committees, Internet2 divisions, or community organizations. If you have an idea for a new group, contact help@incommon.org to discuss the chartering process. 

Absolutely! Many community members participate in multiple groups. We recommend starting with one group to gauge time commitment, then adding others as your schedule permits.

Time commitment varies by group and your level of involvement. Most groups meet for 1 hour weekly or bi-weekly. Between meetings, you might spend 1-2 hours on group activities, though this is flexible based on your availability.  

Most working groups are open to anyone from InCommon member institutions. Some community-chartered groups may have additional participation guidelines. Contact the group chair for specific requirements.

That’s normal! Most members attend 70-80% of meetings. We record sessions, share detailed notes, and use Slack for async participation. Contributing to projects between meetings is equally valuable.

We dive deep into technical details but always tie back to practical implementation. You don’t need to be an expert in everything—members have varied specialties. We explain context and welcome questions.

No! We value diverse experience levels. If you’re implementing IAM solutions and have insights to share, you belong. We especially encourage early-career professionals who bring fresh perspectives. Experienced members provide mentorship.

Steering provides oversight and coordination. We review recommendations from technical committees, approve budgets for working groups, and ensure alignment across all governance bodies. It’s collaborative, not hierarchical.

New members receive comprehensive orientation, mentorship from experienced members, travel funding for meetings, and professional development opportunities. Staff support handles logistics so you can focus on governance.

We operate by consensus when possible, with formal votes when needed. All members have equal voice. Decisions are transparent and documented. Community input is actively sought on major issues.

Yes! While many members are senior leaders, we value diverse perspectives. If you have strategic thinking skills and understand institutional needs, you’re qualified. We especially encourage applications from emerging leaders.

Most members spend 4-6 hours monthly: 1-hour meeting, 2-3 hours prep, 1-hour subcommittee work. In-person meetings twice yearly (travel supported). Peak times during strategic planning (September) and budget season (December).

Start by ensuring your institution has deployed eduroam successfully. Participate in regional meetings, contribute to discussions on the mailing list, and volunteer for a project. This demonstrates your commitment and helps you understand eAC’s work.

Most members spend 2-3 hours monthly: 1-hour meetings plus project work. During major initiatives, it might increase temporarily. The impact far exceeds the time invested—you’re affecting millions of users

Absolutely! Small institutions often provide the most valuable insights about resource constraints and creative solutions. Your perspective ensures eduroam works for everyone, not just large universities.

Nominations typically open in October for terms starting in January. You can nominate yourself or others. The process is simple: submit a brief statement of interest and your qualifications. Selection prioritizes diversity of perspectives and institutions.

Committees provide ongoing governance and technical guidance. Boards focus on specific trust/assurance topics. Working groups tackle time-limited projects. You can participate in multiple groups based on your interests.

Absolutely! We actively encourage global participation. Most meetings are recorded for those in difficult time zones, and we rotate meeting times when possible. About 30% of our committee members are international.

 No! Committees benefit from diverse perspectives. Whether you’re implementing your first IAM system or architecting enterprise solutions, your real-world experience is valuable. We especially welcome early-career professionals seeking mentorship.

Most committees meet bi-weekly for 1 hour, with 1-2 hours of prep time. You can start as an observer with no commitment, then increase involvement as your schedule allows. Many members say the professional development value far exceeds the time invested.

The advisory group helps coordinate community contributions across platform components. Members can guide strategic development priorities while also participating in hands-on development and testing efforts.

The primary 2024 focus is on documentation, packaging, and training rather than new feature development, ensuring platform stability and ease of deployment while gathering community input for future development priorities.

mittees, providing architecture and investment guidance that complements their operational and strategic advisory roles. Members of these committees are encouraged to participate. 

Members should have experience with identity and access management architecture, open-source software development or deployment, and understanding of research and education technical requirements. Systems architecture or technical leadership experience is valuable.

Board members receive staff support from Internet2, access to necessary resources and tools, and training on governance best practices. Travel support may be available for in-person meetings.

New boards are established when the community identifies a need for focused governance in a specific area. Proposals go through community consultation before being approved by the Steering Committee.  

Most board meetings include opportunities for community observation. Some sessions may be closed for sensitive discussions. Check each board’s page for specific participation guidelines.  

Board positions are filled through an annual nomination process. Watch for announcements in InCommon communications, typically in the fall. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged. 

Boards provide focused governance on specific topics with formal decision-making authority. Advisory committees offer ongoing strategic guidance across broader areas. Working groups tackle specific technical challenges or time-limited projects. 

CTAB seeks diverse representation from across the R&E community. Members typically have experience in identity management, security, or trust frameworks. Nominations are open to all qualified community members.

Subscribe to InCommon communications, attend open CTAB meetings, participate in office hours, and review published meeting minutes on the CTAB wiki.

CTAB works collaboratively with organizations to achieve compliance. We provide guidance, resources, and reasonable timelines. The dispute resolution process ensures fair treatment while maintaining federation security. 

Baseline Expectations emerge from community needs through an extensive consultation process. CTAB facilitates discussions, gathers feedback, and builds consensus before any requirements are adopted.

CTAB specifically focuses on trust and assurance matters, including baseline expectations, dispute resolution, and security frameworks. Other committees address technical operations, architecture, and service-specific concerns. 

PAG recommendations directly inform Internet2 leadership’s strategic planning, investment decisions, and program priorities. The group serves as the primary community advisory body for trust and identity program strategy.

PAG members participate in regular strategic planning meetings and provide ongoing input on major program decisions. The time commitment varies based on strategic planning cycles and major initiative reviews. 

PAG operates at the highest strategic level, focusing on program direction and investment priorities across Internet2’s entire trust and identity portfolio, while other committees focus on specific technical or operational aspects. 

PAG members should have senior-level experience in strategic planning, preferably with understanding of trust and identity challenges in research and education. Experience with institutional strategic planning, program oversight, or community leadership is valuable. 

Start by reviewing the group charters and current activities, then connect with members to learn more. When nominations open, submit your form—self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.

Terms generally begin in January, with nominations opening in the fall. Check InCommon’s community announcements for specific timelines each year.

We welcome diverse perspectives from across research and education institutions. Members typically include IAM implementers, technologists, architects, and institutional leaders. International participants are encouraged to apply.

Most advisory groups meet bi-weekly for one hour, with additional work between meetings as needed. The overall time commitment is flexible, and members choose their level of engagement based on availability.

Advisory groups provide high-level guidance and strategy for InCommon’s trust and identity programs, while committees (like Steering, CTAB, TAC, and eAC) focus on specific areas of governance, technical operations, or community standards.

Absolutely. We actively seek international perspectives to ensure our solutions work across diverse institutional needs. Many of our committees include global representation from research and education organizations worldwide.

New terms typically begin in January. Nominations are usually open in the fall, with application deadlines in October. Check our community communications for specific dates and requirements.

We welcome diverse perspectives and experience levels. Whether you’re an IAM implementer, security professional, or technical architect, your unique expertise significantly contributes to the strength of our community. Self-nominations are encouraged.

Time investment is as flexible as your schedule allows—from joining email discussions to leading working groups. Most committee meetings are 1 hour long, held bi-weekly. Many members find even minimal participation valuable for professional development and community connection.

Being a part of the InCommon community is to help others. Our community are problem solvers! We find it fun solve  problems and learn  new skills. 

Take a look at ways you can pitch in to help a peer. For more information, contact us.

• Join the developer or user lists for our software and contribute your ideas. To get connected, search for the name of the software or service that interests you (“grouper” or “comanage” for example). You’ll find the lists in two places
  • InCommon Federation and Certificate-related lists: lists.incommon.org.
  • Software and eduroam-related lists: lists.internet2.edu
• Join the InCommon Academy training team and help others while learning more about the topic and who’s doing what.
• Blog, present at a meeting or during a webinar. We can help you get your story published or heard.
• Keep up with what’s going on by joining the InCommon Participants email list. It’s a good place to pose questions and get help from the community too.

Are you interested in participating in one of our development teams or contributing code? 

Send an email to help@incommon.org and review the Community Contributions policies and agreement on our InCommon Policies and Documents page.

The community is always looking for case studies to review and learn from. Have a good one? Let us know and we will work together to find the best approach to publish the case study.

Send us your thoughts and questions and we’ll talk.

Much of the community work is done, not surprisingly, by email. Here are some email lists that we recommend you join. To join, email sympa@incommon.org with the subject: subscribe <name of list>:

• InCommon Participants (participants@incommon.org) is where community members discuss issues and problems of common interest. You’ll also receive announcements of webinars, notification of community reviews of working group reports, and other key information.
• InCommon Operations Notifications (inc-ops-notifications@incommon.org) is the official technical announcement list. Site administrators are automatically subscribed, but others may join.
• All working groups have open email lists. Visit the wiki page for information on active working groups and associated email lists.
• InCommon Certificate Users (cert-users@incommon.org) is a place to ask questions and compare notes with fellow cert service subscribers.
• The eduroam-admins list (eduroam-admins@internet2.edu) provides a discussion area for those who administer eduroam in their organizations. Note – to subscribe to this list, send email to sympa@internet2.edu with the subject line: subscribe eduroam-admins.

Newsletters – Internet2 has a number of community newsletters, including the periodic Trust and Identity News. A list, along with information on how to subscribe, are on the Internet2 website.

A good way to keep up to speed on working groups and other issues is to join the InCommon participants email list. Send mail to sympa@incommon.org with the subject line, Subscribe Participants. That’s also a good place to pose questions and get help from the community.

At InCommon, we focus on; 

• IAM Solutions Toolkits Specialized for Research and Education
• Providing Clear Guidance Support with Flexible Pathways
• Innovate and Collaborate in Shaping the Future of IAM

InCommon relies on the strength of its community and collaborating with those who have “boots on the ground” experience.

At InCommon, we have multiple options for you to participate in and learn:

• Advisory Groups
  • InCommon’s advisory groups bring together leaders and implementers to shape strategy, advance trust frameworks, and guide architecture for the entire research and education community.
• Committees
  • InCommon committees bring together passionate professionals to solve real IAM challenges, shape technical standards, and enable secure collaboration across thousands of institutions.
• Working Groups
  • Join focused teams exploring emerging technologies, developing specifications, and creating solutions that advance the entire research and education community.  

Discover all InCommon opportunities and create a deeper connection to the community.

To best serve the community, we offer COmanage training as needed. We coordinate with interested individuals and organizations to schedule a cohort-based training that works for everyone. This allows for more customizability and can include Registry, Match, or both. Interested? Fill out the expression of interest form today! 

Yes — many multi-campus systems work with InCommon in flexible ways, whether by coordinating centrally or enabling each campus to engage individually. We can help you explore the best path for accessing our full range of services — including identity federation, global Wi-Fi (eduroam), IAM training and support, and open-source software implementation (Shibboleth, Grouper, midPoint, COmanage). Reach out to us.

We’re working toward a more dynamic and interactive experience! Future updates will include enhanced dashboards, peer comparisons, and collaboration networks with improved mobile responsiveness and potential app capabilities coming down the line.

Some fields, such as technical configurations or internal contacts, may be restricted to logged-in users or verified federation participants to protect sensitive information and promote responsible data use.

If you spot outdated or incorrect information, contact our support team to let us know. Accuracy helps the whole ecosystem thrive!

Each directory entry includes the relevant technical and administrative contacts for that organization. You can use this information to initiate integrations, discuss partnerships, or coordinate collaboration directly.

Directory data is sourced from multiple authoritative systems and regularly updated through automated syncs and community input. Participating organizations are responsible for keeping their information current.

The Organizations directory includes every active participant in the InCommon Federation, from higher education institutions and research organizations to corporate partners, consortia, and government agencies.

 eAC provides strategic direction and policy guidance. We don’t manage day-to-day operations but shape the service’s future, resolve policy challenges, and ensure eduroam evolves to meet user needs.

Not at all! While we need technical experts, we equally value service managers, policy specialists, and user experience advocates. The best decisions come from diverse perspectives. If you’re passionate about connectivity, you belong.

Baseline Expectations emerge from community needs through an extensive consultation process. CTAB facilitates discussions, gathers feedback, and builds consensus before any requirements are adopted.

Being a part of the InCommon community is to help others. Our community are problem solvers! We find it fun solve  problems and learn  new skills. 

Take a look at ways you can pitch in to help a peer. For more information, contact us.

• Join the developer or user lists for our software and contribute your ideas. To get connected, search for the name of the software or service that interests you (“grouper” or “comanage” for example). You’ll find the lists in two places
  • InCommon Federation and Certificate-related lists: lists.incommon.org.
  • Software and eduroam-related lists: lists.internet2.edu
• Join the InCommon Academy training team and help others while learning more about the topic and who’s doing what.
• Blog, present at a meeting or during a webinar. We can help you get your story published or heard.
• Keep up with what’s going on by joining the InCommon Participants email list. It’s a good place to pose questions and get help from the community too.

Yes — many multi-campus systems work with InCommon in flexible ways, whether by coordinating centrally or enabling each campus to engage individually. We can help you explore the best path for accessing our full range of services — including identity federation, global Wi-Fi (eduroam), IAM training and support, and open-source software implementation (Shibboleth, Grouper, midPoint, COmanage). Reach out to us.

Yes! InCommon serves colleges and universities across the U.S., from large research institutions to regional liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and everything in between. We also support campus systems, consortia, and collaborations across multiple states.

You may download an InCommon Participant badge for use on the web. See the details and download information, as well as the trademark and use policy for the InCommon logo.

Here are the official roles related to InCommon Federation, the Certificate Service, and eduroam. 

General Roles

• InCommon Executive: The InCommon Executive represents the participant organization regarding all decisions and delegations of authority for the responsibilities of InCommon Participants, including but not limited to all relevant federation and certificate services. This includes payment of invoices and assigning any person in the Site Administrator role (see below) for the InCommon Federation and as a Registration Authority Officer (RAO) for the InCommon Certificate Service. The InCommon Exec is authorized as such in the InCommon participation agreement or by succession from the originally named executive. The InCommon Exec will typically be filled by a CIO, VP of IT, or other senior administrative officer responsible for the organization’s information technology assets.

NOTE: We will need to schedule a short phone call with the new InCommon Executive to verify your organization’s official Site Administrators and RAO’s and to answer any questions. This verification is required per our Metadata Registration Practices Statement to help us maintain trust and security in all we do. 

Federation roles

• Site Administrator: The Federation Site Administrator serves as the participating organization’s primary registrar. The administrator is responsible for registering and maintaining the policies and technical data related to the organization’s participation in the InCommon Federation, including submitting any Identity Provider and/or Service Provider metadata and associated certificates. The administrator is assigned by the participating organization’s designated executive. Each InCommon participant can have up to two Federation Site Administrators.
• Delegated Site Admin: This is a role created and managed by a Site Administrator to delegate the responsibility of metadata management for one or more Service Provider entities. A Delegated Site Admin manages metadata that, once submitted, will need to be approved by a regular Site Admin prior to review and approval by InCommon. Password resets and management of DSA’s is done by the organization’s Site Admins, not InCommon.

Certificate Services roles

• MRAO (Master Registration Authority Officer): Due to the unique architecture of the InCommon platform within the Sectigo Certificate Manager, the MRAO role is reserved for staff at InCommon. Though you will see many references to actions that can be taken by an MRAO in the documentation, please note that your campus does not have this role.
• RAO (Registration Authority Officer): The Certificate Service RAO has privileges to request and manage certificates for domains owned and controlled by that person’s organization. RAOs can also create departments and can request or approve the creation of DRAOs (Department Registration Authority Officers). Each InCommon participant can have up to three RAOs.
• DRAO (Department Registration Authority Officer): A DRAO is created and managed by an RAO to perform certificate duties scoped to a particular sub-domain or domain as defined by the organization’s RAO’s. Password resets and management of DRAO’s rights and privileges, and other administrative settings are handled by the organization’s RAO’s, not InCommon.

eduroam roles

• eduroam Administrator: Each eduroam Admin has an account in the eduroam Federation Manager to add/edit/remove contact info, make changes to configurations, location information, etc. eduroam Admins can add and manage other eduroam Admins
• Support Contact: This should be a contact where your users can get help connecting to eduroam. Preferably a group, published on maps and exported to eduroam.org where it can be displayed on the eduroam companion.
• Report Contact: This should be a contact to receive your monthly/semi-annual/yearly reports.

eduroam Admins can change any of the roles above by logging into the eduroam Federation Manager.

Role Change Web Form

Not sure which roles you have or need to change? Check our Community page to see which services you’re subscribed to. Fill out this form to change roles for your organization.

See these hours of operation for our daily Federation metadata signing and learn more about Federation best practices.

InCommon follows official Internet2 business hours, which are Monday through Friday, 8 am–5 pm Eastern Time.

Requests to update Federation metadata are generally processed within one (1) business day after submission. New metadata submissions, especially new Identity Provider metadata, may take longer. Metadata approvals typically occur each business day at approximately 2:30 pm ET while signing typically occurs each business day at approximately 3:00 pm ET. Exact times may vary.

InCommon does not sign metadata on the following official Internet2 holidays.

2026 Holiday Schedule

• Federation login (admins)
• Federation Manager Login (delegated admin)

Find InCommon’s official policies, by-laws, and service-specific documents.

InCommon is governed by the InCommon Steering Committee, consisting of members from participating institutions. Technical and policy recommendations also come from two key advisory groups: the InCommon Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the Community Trust and Assurance Board (CTAB). Please find out more on our leadership page.

Two additional advisory groups provide feedback and guidance for all of Internet2’s activities in the trust and identity area. The Trust and Identity Program Advisory Group has representation from both the U.S. and international communities, providing high-level guidance. The Community Architecture Committee for Trust and Identity (CACTI) provides technical guidance encompassing all of InCommon’s services.

InCommon evolved from Internet2’s efforts in trusted access to resources, which have been ongoing since 1998. In 2000, Internet2 received the first of what would become 10 federal agency awards, with Ken Klingenstein as principal investigator. The awards include nine from the National Science Foundation and one from the Department of Commerce. This led to the creation of the Internet2 Middleware Initiative, and both Shibboleth and InCommon grew out of that program early on.

Since that time, InCommon has also developed the InCommon Certificate Service (in 2010), providing unlimited server and other types of security certificates for higher education and research. In 2016, InCommon assumed responsibility for eduroam in the U.S., which provides seamless roaming wi-fi access at participating organizations.

In 2014, 49 higher ed organizations made a three-year commitment totaling $3.7 million to integrate the software that grew out of the Middleware Initiative and became widely deployed among education and research institutions. This funding was augmented by an allocation of a portion of Internet2 membership fees, as well. Known as TIER (Trust and Identity for Education and Research), the effort addressed a broad range of topics, including integrated middleware, authentication and authorization, privacy management, and services for virtual organizations.

The TIER program ended in December 2018. An increase in InCommon participation fees and continued support from Internet2 will ensure that the now-integrated identity and access management suite of software will be sustained for the future.

TAC develops technical recommendations through hands-on testing and community input. These go to Steering Committee for approval, then become federation standards. Your work directly shapes how thousands of institutions operate.

Yes, vendors who contribute to the federation ecosystem are welcome. We value their expertise while maintaining vendor neutrality in recommendations. About 10% of members are from vendor organizations.

We dive deep into technical details but always tie back to practical implementation. You don’t need to be an expert in everything—members have varied specialties. We explain context and welcome questions.

Start by ensuring your institution has deployed eduroam successfully. Participate in regional meetings, contribute to discussions on the mailing list, and volunteer for a project. This demonstrates your commitment and helps you understand eAC’s work.

Being a part of the InCommon community is to help others. Our community are problem solvers! We find it fun solve  problems and learn  new skills. 

Take a look at ways you can pitch in to help a peer. For more information, contact us.

• Join the developer or user lists for our software and contribute your ideas. To get connected, search for the name of the software or service that interests you (“grouper” or “comanage” for example). You’ll find the lists in two places
  • InCommon Federation and Certificate-related lists: lists.incommon.org.
  • Software and eduroam-related lists: lists.internet2.edu
• Join the InCommon Academy training team and help others while learning more about the topic and who’s doing what.
• Blog, present at a meeting or during a webinar. We can help you get your story published or heard.
• Keep up with what’s going on by joining the InCommon Participants email list. It’s a good place to pose questions and get help from the community too.

Yes — many multi-campus systems work with InCommon in flexible ways, whether by coordinating centrally or enabling each campus to engage individually. We can help you explore the best path for accessing our full range of services — including identity federation, global Wi-Fi (eduroam), IAM training and support, and open-source software implementation (Shibboleth, Grouper, midPoint, COmanage). Reach out to us.

Yes, non-commercial organizations like government agencies, non-profits, and research collaborations can participate in the Federation through different participation models that don’t require commercial sponsorship.

Your identity implementation is what makes secure, seamless access to services like eduroam, cloud apps, and the InCommon Federation possible. When properly configured, it allows your users to authenticate using their home institution credentials, whether they’re accessing Wi-Fi on another campus via eduroam, logging into research tools through the Federation, or using cloud platforms. Behind the scenes, your identity system integrates with these services using standards-based protocols, enabling trusted access while maintaining control and security.

IAM touches nearly every part of your organization, from IT to academic affairs, HR, student services, and research administration. Strong IAM helps improve user experience, streamline operations, and ensure secure access across every department and digital interaction.

IAM is an evolving strategy. As users change roles, systems are added, and collaborations grow, your IAM implementation needs to adapt accordingly. That’s why it’s important to approach IAM as a long-term framework, not a single deployment.

Implementing IAM can be complex, but you don’t have to do it alone. InCommon offers tools (like IAM Sketch), learning pathways (via the Academy), expert partners (Catalysts), and a strong peer community to help institutions of all sizes move forward at their own pace.

Using eduroam is a great step, but it’s just one piece of the bigger IAM picture. A full identity implementation also includes managing user roles and permissions, provisioning accounts, and maintaining an identity registry.

While login is one part of it, IAM goes far beyond passwords. It includes managing user identities, roles, group access, authentication, authorization, provisioning, and federation. A complete IAM approach ensures users have the right access at the right time, across all systems. See how all of the core IAM capabilities work together by using IAM Sketch.

Not at all. IAM is critical for institutions of all sizes, even small colleges and community campuses. Scalable, community-supported tools from InCommon make it possible to start small, grow over time, and implement IAM components that fit your current needs and available resources.

Federation metadata is critical to enabling trust between identity providers (IdPs) and service providers (SPs). IAM systems use this metadata to exchange identity information securely and determine access permissions. InCommon Federation maintains and distributes this metadata, ensuring your institution can participate in a broader, trusted network of education and research services.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or need support with a particular implementation, InCommon can connect you with the right resources. You can reach out to our team here, or work with a trusted InCommon Catalyst, technical partners approved to help institutions design, deploy, and optimize their IAM infrastructure.

If you’re just beginning your IAM journey, the best place to start is by learning the basics. InCommon Academy offers beginner-friendly training, including IAM 101 content and recorded webinars, designed for IT professionals, campus leaders, and technical staff. You can also explore our interactive tool, IAM Sketch, to visualize how IAM systems are structured.

Yes — many multi-campus systems work with InCommon in flexible ways, whether by coordinating centrally or enabling each campus to engage individually. We can help you explore the best path for accessing our full range of services — including identity federation, global Wi-Fi (eduroam), IAM training and support, and open-source software implementation (Shibboleth, Grouper, midPoint, COmanage). Reach out to us.

Yes! InCommon serves colleges and universities across the U.S., from large research institutions to regional liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and everything in between. We also support campus systems, consortia, and collaborations across multiple states.

Yes — many multi-campus systems work with InCommon in flexible ways, whether by coordinating centrally or enabling each campus to engage individually. We can help you explore the best path for accessing our full range of services — including identity federation, global Wi-Fi (eduroam), IAM training and support, and open-source software implementation (Shibboleth, Grouper, midPoint, COmanage). Reach out to us.

Yes! InCommon serves colleges and universities across the U.S., from large research institutions to regional liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and everything in between. We also support campus systems, consortia, and collaborations across multiple states.

From federated identity and global Wi-Fi access to certificate management and implementation support, InCommon provides trusted, scalable IAM solutions designed for colleges and universities. Explore our list of services.

Our team is here to help you navigate all the options InCommon has to offer. Whether you’re just getting started or exploring ways to expand your participation, we’re happy to connect. Reach out to us.

Yes — many multi-campus systems work with InCommon in flexible ways, whether by coordinating centrally or enabling each campus to engage individually. We can help you explore the best path for accessing our full range of services — including identity federation, global Wi-Fi (eduroam), IAM training and support, and open-source software implementation (Shibboleth, Grouper, midPoint, COmanage). Reach out to us.

Yes! InCommon serves colleges and universities across the U.S., from large research institutions to regional liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and everything in between. We also support campus systems, consortia, and collaborations across multiple states.

TAC develops technical recommendations through hands-on testing and community input. These go to Steering Committee for approval, then become federation standards. Your work directly shapes how thousands of institutions operate.