NETC08 session 1102

From Extension Collaborative Wiki

Session Name: OpenID: Making Accounts and Passwords Somebody Else's Problem
Session Number: 1102
Location: Pinehurst
Day and Time: Wednesday, 3:30 - 4:15 pm
Format: Presentation
Topic: Account Management
Level: Advanced

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Session Abstract:

In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams documented one of the most important technological advances of the modern age - the "Somebody Else's Problem" field - that is, an object is invisible if you aren't looking for it, because its Somebody Else's Problem. For most web developers and system administrators, we'd like accounts and passwords to be Somebody Else's Problem (or even better - we don't want other web applications taking on *our* problem of *our* accounts). In this session, we'll examine an emerging identity and authentication protocol called OpenID that lets web application developers worry less about accounts and passwords - and lets system administrators and support staff encourage our staff and users to use those web applications and maintain their identity without turning over their own accounts and passwords to the third party sites. We'll explore ways that OpenID can be used in Cooperative Extension today - utilizing the services of the National e-Extension Initiative - and where it may make sense local to your own institution.

Led By: Jason Young, Senior Information Systems Technologist, NC State University