Charting a Course

Neither Hurricane Sandy, nor the challenges of post-Thanksgiving travel could stop the Identity Ecosystem Steering Group (IDESG) from conducting its second in-person Plenary session.  The meeting – originally scheduled for October 29-30, but postponed due to the hurricane – finally convened in Washington, D.C. last week.  The outcome was good:  attendees both in-person and virtual spent two days charting a course to create the Identity Ecosystem envisioned in the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC).  Day one started with a mapping exercise facilitated by Management Council Chair Brett McDowell that helped to draw out the attendees’ shared expectations for the Identity Ecosystem.  Participants were assigned to small working groups comprised of representatives from different NSTIC stakeholders to map out key attributes of a successful Identity Ecosystem.  The main plenary then recessed to allow attendees to meet in existing IDESG Committees to dive into the specific roles each committee will play in creating an Identity Ecosystem Framework.  The collective output of these exercises and committee meetings was a set of clear, consensus requirements that paved the way for the IDESG in the months ahead. Plenary Chair Bob Blakley facilitated the day two proceedings, which focused largely on the task of charter alignment – making sure that each of the IDESG committees crafted charters that complemented each other (rather than clashed), and that would align their work around a cohesive plan to craft an Identity Ecosystem Framework.  The IDESG Management Council met later that afternoon to review these charters, with an eye on taking a holistic view of the Ecosystem and ensuring that the IDESG committees can all follow this common workplan.  This work will continue over the next two months, leading up to the next IDESG Plenary meeting, just announced for February 5-7 in Phoenix, Ariz.  Details should be up shortly at http://www.idecosystem.org/.   Outside of the plenary meetings, two items worth highlighting:

• To stay better informed on the work of the IDESG and the committees, the Secretariat is also rolling out several new communications tools, including an improved website and a regular newsletter that will provide highlights of ongoing progress.
• The IDESG is also expected to approve Membership and Intellectual Property Rights agreements in December, providing a legal and policy foundation that will make it easier for many organizations to formally join and participate.

For more information about the IDESG, including to join individual committees and for updates on the new Membership agreements, visit the IDESG website by clicking here. And if you have specific questions about NSTIC, please reach out to us in the National Program Office at nstic [at] nist.gov (nstic[at]nist[dot]gov).