A major NSTIC milestone: IDEFv1 set for October 20th public release

When the Identity Ecosystem Steering Group (IDESG) plenary convened last week in Tampa, Florida, attendees meant business. By Friday afternoon, committees had finalized the baseline requirements and supplemental guidance for v1 of the Identity Ecosystem Framework (IDEF). Now the plenary stands in recess with the IDESG on track for a major milestone: completion of the IDEFv1, set for public release on October 20^th! The IDEF, chartered for establishment and governance by the IDESG, will stand as the policy foundation for the Identity Ecosystem (IE). After much effort by the IDESG working committees - including collaboration with the NSTIC pilots to level-set with commercial entities– the IDESG has produced a set of baseline requirements that will enable self-attesting entities to assess and report on their alignment with the NSTIC Guiding Principles. This represents a major step forward in influencing the marketplace toward the NSTIC vision. The IDEFv1 will be released for a final reading period on October 7^th, and the plenary will reconvene virtually on October 15^th at 2:00 PM ET to approve the package. During the Plenary meeting, Plenary Chair Kim Sutherland recognized the substantial effort and commitment of the IDESG committees – and in particular the individual committee chairs – for all of their work to produce the IDEFv1 as the IDESG’s major collaborative work product and contribution to the IE. Beyond the committee work of finalizing the requirements, plenary attendees:

• Advanced the Self-Assessment Listing Service (SALS) as led by the Trust Framework and Trustmark (TFTM) Committee. Set to begin operations by the end of the year, the SALS will enable IE participants to assess and assert conformance with the IDEF requirements, publicly announcing their commitment—and operational adherence—to the Baseline Requirements for privacy, interoperability, security, and usability.
• Received updates on the NSTIC pilot progress from recipients and their partners. Pilot recipients brought along relying parties that gave the bigger picture on the role of these projects in the market. Plenary attendees heard from GSMA, joined by representatives from Payfone and Verizon; GTRI, joined by a representative from the State of Alabama; MorphoTrust USA; and the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID or Internet2).
• Had an intro to our three new additions to the NSTIC pilots family, a preview of the NSTIC NPO’s future activities, and were the first to hear about the NPO’s upcoming workshop.

Simply put, part one of the currently-recessed plenary went off as planned. It was productive and all could feel the energy of IDEFv1 nearing release. Now, the IDESG looks to push the IDEFv1 across the finish line at the October 15^th virtual plenary. Stay tuned for more exciting IDEF updates in the coming weeks—the Identity Ecosystem has never felt so close! …as always, remember to follow us on Twitter!