Federation Connected Services
Federation Connected Services

Federation

One login. A trusted, simple way to connect.

Federation delivers a single sign-on that allows individuals across organisational boundaries to collaborate and access online resources within a secure environment. 

That means no new accounts, no extra passwords, no added risk. 

 

See our Subscribers

What is Federation?

Every day, researchers, students and staff need to jump between different systems - a university library, a national research platform, a specialist tool run by another institution altogether.

Normally, that means a new account, a new learning curve and one more password to keep track of.

Federation removes that friction. We deploy and manage the infrastructure that lets your organisation vouch for you, using the login you already have, so you can securely access other organisations’ services.

Behind the scenes, it’s built on agreed rules and shared trust between every organisation in the network. But users don’t see any of that.

You simply log in, once, and get on with your work.

Benefits for subscribers

Federated identity management is a complex, niche field. Federation streamlines the process for the user, without sacrificing security.

  • Availability

    99.95% availability target*

  • Expert management

    Maintained by federated identity management experts

  • Security

    Secure, hardened configuration

  • Testing

    Regular penetration testing

  • Minimal requirements

    Reduced infrastructure requirements, with support for cloud-first strategies

  • Support

    Full set up, maintenance and support included

  • Global connections

    Connections to international services

  • Rapid deployment 

    Rolled out quickly, with no lengthy account setup

What is the Federation?

Subscription options

Connect your organisation to the federation quickly, whatever your size or technical setup. Our tiered subscription and hosted plans are designed to suit the needs of many different organisations. If you need help selecting the right subscription, our team are here to help.

  • Starter Subscription

    For access to research, teaching and learning services for small or NFP teams.

    Ideal For: 

    • Small research organisations or not-for-profit organisations
    • Organisations that don’t have an authentication service
    • Teams who need access to federated services

    Includes: 

    • Up to 100 users
    • Identity database
    • Production environment
    • Access to AAF support

    From $4,500 per year

  • Research Subscription

    For small to medium sized businesses, focussed on accelerating research.  

    Ideal For: 

    • Small to medium research organisations (10-100ppl) 
    • Organisations that have an authentication service 
    • Teams who need access to federated services 

    Includes: 

    • Ability to integrate with your enterprise identity system 
    • Hosted service 
    • Maintenance & security patches 
    • High availability 
    • Automated updates 
    • Fast deployment 
    • Access to AAF Support  

    From $11,300 per year

  • Enterprise Subscription

    For large scale teaching, learning and researcher access to research. 

    Ideal for: 

    • Large organisations (100+ staff) 
    • Organisations that have an authentication service 
    • Teams who need access to federated services 
    • Organisations that need to connect multiple services 

    Includes: 

    • Hosted service 
    • Maintenance & security patches 
    • High availability 
    • Automated updates 
    • Connection to international services (optional) 
    • Fast deployment 
    • Ability to integrate with an existing enterprise identity system 
    • Test environment 
    • Production environment 
    • Ability to add external collaboration partners 
    • Access to AAF support

    From $30,000 per year 

Getting connected is easier than you'd think.

Get in touch

Federation services can be trialled without a subscription plan in place.

Here’s how it works, step by step:

  1. Try it first: Trial Identity Federation in AAF’s test environment, see how it works before you commit to anything.

  2. Choose your connection: Work out which option fits your organisation – our team can help you find the right one.

  3. Sign up: Complete a short subscription form and agree to the Federation Rules that keep every connection in the network secure.

  4. Sort payment: We’ll invoice you, with purchase order and alternative payment arrangements available.

  5. Go live: Move from test to production, supported by AAF’s team at every step.

Part of a global trust network.

Established in 2009, AAF is Australia’s national identity federation – and part of a global network of federations connecting research and education communities around the world. 

AAF is a not-for-profit, run for and by the same universities, research agencies and institutions that rely on it.

We’re recognised as Australia’s Trust and Identity Capability and backed by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). 

We lead the Australian ORCID Consortium, giving Australian researchers a trusted digital identifier of their own. 

Federation in action.

Federation is the foundation. Here's where it comes to life. eduGAIN takes it worldwide, VerifID confirms people are who they say they are, and Virtual Home brings in collaborators who don't have credentials from a member organisation.

  • VerifID

    Verify someone’s university or institution affiliation instantly, without handling extra personal data.

  • Virtual Home

    Allow trusted access to individuals across industry and government worldwide. 

Ready to see what Federation could do for your organisation?

Get in touch to talk through the right option for your team. 

Get in touch