Modeling the Past and Future of Identity Management for Scientific Collaborations

Over its three year funding period, the eXtreme Science Identity Management (XSIM) research project collected and analyzed real world data on identity management (IdM) implementations in virtual organizations (VOs) representing the last 15+ years of collaborative DOE science. XSIM conducted over 20 semi-structured interviews of representatives from scientific collaborations and resource providers, both in the US and Europe; the interviewees supported diverse set of scientific collaborations and disciplines. We constructed a descriptive IdM model sufficiently complex to produce accurate, useful descriptions of the observed trust relationships and technical implementations, but still simple enough to explain and use in novel situations. It was important that the model be comprehensible to both scientists and IT/Cyber security experts to support a dialog between stakeholder groups with different lexicons. In this paper, we summarize the VO IdM model and discuss the experiences and lessons learned of the XSIM project, both in the process of conducting socio-technical research in this interdisciplinary space and in utilizing the model to provide guidance to specific communities. Finally, we describe areas of needed or potentially fruitful research that would enhance the adoption of advanced IdM technologies in future scientific collaboration