Our software.
OpenAthens is built on international standards to facilitate easy support and integration with other applications.
Our simplest solution allows a librarian in a small team to manage their own usernames and passwords in our hosted managed directory. After a few steps single sign on can be established to library collections for end-users and patrons. But larger organisations and institutions have professional teams managing user directories and access rights across their applications. OpenAthens is designed to work with these systems and directories.
Services and Integrations
Local directory integration for identity management
If your organisation already has a user-directory storing user account and usernames and passwords, OpenAthens is able to connect securely with this data. We have a number of options available for establishing this connection, either using commonly available connectors with SAML services such as ADFS and LDAP or using our API to pass information. With these tools and our detailed documentation single sign-on is easily established along with the benefits the OpenAthens administrative area.
Custom resources and applications
Many organisations have set up their own instances of platforms and applications that have SAML access management protocols built into the system. Because of our long-standing relationship with academia in the UK, historically the applications we encounter are VLEs (virtual learning environments) like Moodle or Blackboard. Our software allows organisations to establish a single sign-on session that will include these individual apps, including Google Apps.
Connections
ADFS connector
Connect directly to ADFS (Active Directory Federation Services) so that you do not have to issue personal accounts for your users. As well as the ability to use local accounts instead of maintaining a separate set of credentials, accesses to federated resources that already involve discovery (identifying the users’ home organisation) will take the user directly to your ADFS login
LDAP connector
Connect directly to an LDAP server so that you do not have to issue personal accounts for your users. Anything that uses standard LDAP protocols is acceptable so this works very well with ActiveDirectory too. As well as the ability to use local accounts instead of maintaining a separate set of credentials, accesses to federated resources that already involve discovery (identifying the users’ home organisation) will take the user directly to your LDAP login at our authentication point – no further discovery is required.
API connector
The OpenAthens local authentication API can be used to log your users into the system based on credentials stored in any system you can gain programmatic access to. You will be required to implement some code at your end.
SirsiDynix connector
OpenAthens can connect to a SirsiDynix system using its Symphony or Horizon API so that you do not have to issue personal accounts for your users.
