Why do I need trust and identity?

Why do I need trust and identity?

Digital research underpins today’s modern research, with researchers requiring a seamless ecosystem of facilities and services, that support access to high quality data, computation, storage and communication.  

They also require trusted access that is secure and provides confidence in data quality.  

Currently, users of national research infrastructure are faced with the challenge of navigating multiple platforms and datasets. Managing numerous login credentials across various services, although feasible, can pose cyber security risks. Furthermore, it can reduce the ability for a user to use innovative research methods that span multiple research services and increase the time that users spend gaining access. 

As identified in the Australian Government’s 2021 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap, “An important aspect of providing researchers with access to high-quality data and storage resources is trusted access within the NRI ecosystem, as well as confidence in data quality. The Roadmap consultation process identified trust and identity as fundamental research infrastructure. 

“A system-wide approach to identity and access management would result in more secure research infrastructure and allow secure access and global connectivity for Australian researchers. Furthermore, NRI investment would provide the capacity to develop cutting-edge trust and identity solutions to prepare for future cybersecurity risks and technology disruptors.” 

It’s all about trusted relationships

Trust and identity builds and manages trusted relationships between users and research infrastructures, as well as between research infrastructures.  

A user trusts that their identity will be managed securely and confidentially, and a research infrastructure trusts that the user is who they say they are. Research infrastructures trust each other through a shared understanding of how they manage their infrastructure. 

What we are exploring

Trust and identity is a critical underpinning for Australia’s digital research infrastructure, and the AAF along with the national research infrastructure community, are adapting a globally aligned Trust and Identity Framework. 

The Framework aims to reduce barriers between organisations through a greater level of integration, and support a more secure national research infrastructure system.  

Together we’re exploring a systemwide approach to identity and access management. Users will enjoy a more cohesive network of services, as they use one set of federated credentials to seamlessly access multiple research infrastructure.

Why you need it

For users of research infrastructure  

Trust and identity will enable a shared ‘powerhouse’ of critical research infrastructure, that is responsive to emerging national science and research priorities and supports industry engagement and government requirements. The benefits will be: 

• Enhanced national research infrastructure that places you at the centre of accessing and using services, reducing the time and complexity for you to access multiple services, thereby supporting your research projects from end–to–end. 

• Streamlined access to a greater array of research data sets beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries enabling multi-disciplinary research. This includes making it easier for you to move data and workloads between Australia’s tier 1 and tier 2 compute facilities. 

• Improved management and provenance of data flowing from a system-wide approach to trust and identity, increasing the integrity of research and reducing reputational risk for researchers and institutions. 

• Expanded security by consolidating and leveraging existing user identities and cyber security resources. 

• Interconnected research infrastructure that supports increased collaboration, data sharing, and innovation across the research community while simultaneously protecting data and confidentiality. 

For Higher Education 

Many national research infrastructures are distributed throughout Australia’s universities, and we can work with you to enable access to those services and facilities through your institutional credentials.  

We are currently exploring this complex arrangement with our incubator partners the National Imaging Facility, which has distributed imaging technology services located across multiple universities and locations. 

For industry

A consistent and easy way in which to access research infrastructure will enable collaboration between industry and researchers, supporting research development and commercialisation. Along with secure and reliable access to sensitive data and research resources, will improve industry confidence that data is protected and accessible only to authorised users.  

This will support greater levels of collaboration and help accelerate the development of new treatments and therapies, improve better health outcomes for Australians, and improve monitoring of environments, to drive agricultural productivity and sustainability.