We are pleased to announce that we have successfully completed a proof of concept for Single Sign-on.
Since we launched LearningField we have provided our teachers and students with a single username and password to select text books in our portal and read them in any of our four eReader apps or in the browser. This has been appreciated against the general alternative of set up and access across multiple sites for a single class with of books. We are now also Single Sign-on compatible using the oAuth2 OpenID Connect protocol. This new protocol supports our web portal and also our native apps for PC, Mac, iPad and Android. Using Single Sign-on teachers and students will have to remember only one username and password for any of the apps they use.
During the proof of concept we worked closely with Studentnet and their Cloudwork solution is the first that we are compatible with and support. The oAuth2 OpenID Connect protocol is an industry standard and supported by ADFS on MS Windows 2012 Server R2 and other solutions.
Another identity related issue is the provisioning and maintenance of accounts and groups. This is typically done manually in many different places depending how many apps or services a school might use. Ideally accounts and groups for all apps are managed in one place. This not only reduces the work load for school administrators but also avoids human error. We are participating in a SIF3 initiative run by the National Schools Interoperability Program and are committed to support the SIF3 protocol should it be adopted by other vendors and apps in 2015.
As we continue to develop on this front we would appreciate feedback on your needs and how you see things in this fast moving area developing.