Security Services Overview
The Australian Research Collaboration Service (ARCS) provides unified security solutions to access ARCS tools and services. Its authentication and authorisation services support the access control needs of ARCS users, as well as other eResearch service providers and national research communities.
A key component of ARCS’ unified strategy is reliance on the Australian Access Federation (AAF) for broad access by the research community nationwide. Research institutions implementing ARCS’ security services benefit from increased trust, administrative efficiency and improved productivity.
Following are overviews of Security Services ARCS delivers.
ARCS Identity Provider
The ARCS Identity Provider (IdP) allows researchers without an AAF account to create one. In turn, this enables them to access ARCS and other AAF services.
Benefits include:
- Easy access to ARCS’ numerous services
- A “one stop shop” for all research needs
- A trusted source for all things eResearch
- Unification advantages including efficiency, productivity and gaining more from current investments
ARCS Grid Certificate Service
ARCS provides infrastructure and tools that allow AAF end-users to generate certificates to access High Performance Computing Grid services. ARCS also provides technical resources and advice to service developers to foster interoperability with the Grid.
Benefits of the ARCS Grid Certificate Service include:
- Trust in a respected organisation
- Ease of access
- Minimal technical skill required
