Rapid IdP

Australian Access Federation’s (AAF) Rapid Identity Provider service or Rapid IdP allows organisations to connect their researchers, staff and students to the Federation with their own identity management solution. The same credentials used to access organisational services are used to access services provided through the AAF.  

Rapid IdP is managed and maintained by AAF and the federated identity architecture ensures that the users’ credentials never leave their home organisation systems, ensuring authentication is secure across the network and the globe.  

Functionalities

• Fully compliant Secure Access Markup Language (SAML) Identity Provider
• Three integration options to connect to an organisation’s authentication service
• Branding offers controls over the design of user facing pages
• Attribute resolver and filter allows full control over attributes definition and release
• Bilateral agreements allows to integrate services outside of AAF 

Support and subscriptions

Three integration modes:

• Virtual mode: this option works for smaller organisations without identity directory. Identity data is stored in a database and a simple interface allows admins to manage the users account to access federation.
• Delegate mode: connects to an external LDAP directory such as Microsoft Active Directory or OpenLDAP for identity data. The administrator configures Rapid IdP with credentials to access information in the LDAP directory and Rapid IdP refers to this information when authenticating users.
• Proxy mode: To connect to organisations SAML identity provider such as Entra ID, OKTA, Ping Federate and others. This option allows a seamless user experience when accessing both on-campus and AAF federated services. It allows the organisation to apply corporate identity policies to the AAF.  

Software as a service

The Rapid Identity Provider service is built by and maintained by the AAF utilising best practice build and deployment processes: 

• Deployed across multiple AWS nodes
• Highly available, auto-scale architecture
• Zero down time
• Constant monitoring
• Dedicated development and support team
• Regular pen testing 

This cloud-based solution removes the need to run specialised identity servers on-premises and frees technical staff of the burden of maintain a complex software stack needed to connect researchers to the thousands of services available through the AAF. 

Use Cases

• For use cases and benefits see: https://aaf.edu.au/subscribers/rapididp/