The Client
The University of London (UoL) Federation, comprising of 17 member institutions, is the UK’s leading provider of digital and blended distance education internationally, with the federation serving over 40,000 students across 190 countries. Founded in 1836, it is one of the world’s largest and most diverse institutions. Known for its commitment to excellence in education, research, and innovation, UoL is a key player in global higher education.
Recognising the importance of efficient and secure access to library services, UoL commissioned Condatis to develop a comprehensive strategy for identity and access management (IAM). Our recommended strategy was specifically tailored to streamline the student onboarding process for their new library system and enhance the user experience across member institutions.
Our work with UoL furthers our commitment to positioning universities at the forefront of innovation, delivering an exceptional student journey, while safeguarding their complex data. Accessing essential digital resources like library services should be simple, intuitive, and consistent-regardless of which member institution a student belongs to. Through our collaboration with the University of London Federation, our solution would enhance the digital experience for students by streamlining access to shared services. By creating a more unified and user-friendly interface, students would benefit from a smoother, more consistent journey when engaging with academic tools across institutions. This improved experience supports better learning outcomes and reduces complexity for both students and support teams. University of London recognised the need to improve the user experience across all 17 institutions by enabling students to log in using their existing university credentials. The goal was to ensure a familiar, secure, and streamlined journey that required no new accounts or unfamiliar processes. We recommended a solution based on Azure AD B2C, which can be customised to meet UoL’s branding and user journey requirements, ensuring a positive and professional experience for library users. This solution aligns with UoL’s requirements and identity strategy for the present and offering a future-ready access model that could unify and simplify the digital experience for students and staff. Condatis was engaged to assess the existing identity architecture and develop a strategy that enables this federated access approach. The strategy has been delivered and is currently guiding the first phase of implementation. The Challenge
The Solution
A Federation-First Access Model
The proposed strategy for UoL, centres around enabling uniform library access for users across all 17 participating member institutions, leveraging external identity federation, including all University of London (UoL) staff, students, UOLW (University of London Worldwide), ULIP (University of London Institute in Paris), SAS (School of Advanced Study), and students of federated member institutions (MI). This eliminates the need for separate registration and support processes based on user type. The solution is also designed to be extensible, allowing for the registration and management of public members or users from non-MI bodies through UoL-issued credentials.
Utilisation of existing Entra components
By leveraging existing Entra components, the solution is familiar to UoL’s Identity and Access Management (IAM) team. This familiarity facilitates easier adoption and management, making Entra the right choice for our client. Additionally, the presence of a user record in B2C supports usage tracking and future implementation of a ‘dormant user’ removal process if desired.
Enhanced security and compliance
The solution aligns with core identity management principles, including the application of a zero-trust security model and ensuring least privilege access. This reduces the risk of unauthorised access and ensures that users only have the necessary level of access at all times. The solution also supports regular access reviews and compliance with regulatory and data governance requirements.
Good data and system governance
Clear ownership of data and systems is established, with designated points of contact for assessing changes and managing data cleansing activities. A single team is responsible for defining and managing library access policies, ensuring consistency and accountability.
Forward Compatibility
The proposed architecture is designed for extensibility and future integration with additional systems beyond the library, establishing a flexible, federation-wide model for secure service access.
Preventing credential proliferation
The solution focuses on granting and revoking access based on roles and account status, rather than creating multiple identities for the same individual. This approach simplifies identity management and enhances security by reducing the number of credentials that need to be managed.
By implementing this comprehensive solution, UoL can achieve a streamlined, secure, and efficient library access system that meets the needs of all users while maintaining high standards of data governance and compliance. Adopting best practices in identity governance through our proposed IAM solution would deliver a range of strategic and operational benefits to the University. These include improvements in user experience, cost control, operational efficiency, and enhanced security and governance. Independent research supports the value of this approach. According to Forrester’s Total Economic Impact™ report of Microsoft Entra (March 2023): These measurable improvements underscore the transformative impact of adopting a modern identity strategy using Microsoft Azure AD B2C. The Benefits
Improved User Experience
Operational Efficiency
Enhanced Security and Governance
Quantified Outcomes