Through the NCEdCloud IAM Service Single Sign On (SSO) integration, users from North Carolina can access Learning.com by first signing into the NCEdCloud IAM Service website.
What is NCEdCloud?
In order to support all NC Race to the Top (RttT) activities, the North Carolina Education Cloud (NCEdCloud) is a service delivery platform for contemporary instructional and administrative support technologies.
The NCEdCloud has adopted a creative strategy to enable shared services through cooperative procurements, pay-for-use statewide license agreements, and shared support models rather than developing new systems.
One of NCEdCloud’s initiatives, the Identity and Access Management (IAM) Service, is offered under a service agreement with Identity Automation (IdAuto). Identity, data, and access management services are offered by IdAuto, a business with headquarters in Houston, Texas.
Why do we need IAM?
The core of the IAM Service is the idea that solid identity management is essential for the transition of IT toward cloud technologies. A unified and standardized approach to managing accounts, roles, and permissions for various technologies is necessary for the successful deployment and continuing management as more services migrate to the cloud.
Every student, teacher, staff member, parent or guardian, and member of the school community should be able to access cloud-based learning resources in North Carolina using a single, unique login and password thanks to the IAM Service.
All users will have access to self-service functionality through IAM, and all LEA/ Charter School administrators will have access to delegation functionality. The service will primarily consist of three parts:
- A central directory service that offers a master authentication and authorization resource.
- A centralized data repository with all user identity information gathered in a single location opens the door for better reporting capabilities, data analytics generation, and access control management. An automated system for synchronizing global user information from the centralized directory service to local directory services, it will also give local school district staff new possibilities.
- Federation software enables users to access all of their pertinent cloud services with a single username and password through Single Sign-On capabilities.
- Overall, the local school districts may benefit from new alternatives and opportunities provided by the IAM Service. Through more efficient account life-cycle management, it has the ability to save support costs while improving, securing, and enhancing the user experience.
Why is IAM necessary?
The IAM project’s goal is to address the difficulties that K–12 stakeholders encounter.
K–12 users need to manage too many accounts.
Whether the resources are stored on local LEA and Charter School systems or cloud-based services, the average student in NC presently has 4-6 accounts to access their learning resources. instructors and others
On average, administrators have twice as many.
These accounts typically have unique usernames and passwords. Users find it more challenging to properly and responsibly handle their information when the number of accounts grows.
The management and assistance of creating and resetting passwords, as well as updating user account information, is a challenge for technical staff.
Account information must be updated manually.
The difficult process of transferring user identity data from student and human resources information systems to local systems has frequently been discussed by LEAs and charter schools.
This procedure consists of two main steps: (1) gathering precise, current, and comprehensive user data from student and HR information systems through an automated process; and (2) converting this data into user accounts for the different dissimilar systems and services for end users. Administrators must repeat this procedure every time a new application is introduced or a user’s information changes. While some districts have developed automated systems to deal with this issue, many are still burdened by a time-consuming human approach.
The NCEdCloud suggests expanding the use of cloud-based services. There must be some middleware (“glue”) that connects the different components for the transfer of services to a hosted or cloud-based solution to be successful. A large cloud computing infrastructure needs a solid identity management service as a starting point.
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Who Is Concerned?
As of January 2014, the NCEdCloud program was in charge of managing the IAM Service as a result of the RttT grant given to the state in 2010 by the ARRA federal stimulus funding. This grant was given to North Carolina to encourage innovation in public schools and is an essential part of maintaining educational development.
The NCEdCloud will transfer the Service Manager job to MCNC as the grant expires in order to guarantee that the IAM Service is supported and implemented going forward. The IAM Service Help Desk is now offered by MCNC.
