SSO: Single Sign-On solution for the e-lib.ch web portal

E-lib.ch is the Swiss portal for academic information research. It provides a single point of access to the products and services of 20 sub-projects, as well as to the extensive resources of Swiss university libraries and a host of other institutions.

The aim is to implement a Single Sign-On (SSO) solution for the e-lib.ch web portal so that users of the portal can access the available electronic resources and services from any location. To enable such an SSO solution to be designed, the steering committee of the e-lib.ch web portal commissioned ETH-Bibliothek, the library of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, to carry out an evaluation. We were able to support ETH-Bibliothek with this important evaluation after having already successfully assisted the library with a previous evaluation for a similar solution.

Drawing on business consulting and architecture-related expertise, the evaluation proceeded as follows:
 

• Analysis of the target groups for the SSO and an assessment of the starting position and requirements;
• Explanation of terms in order to facilitate further discussions and gain a common understanding of the different variants of SSO;
• Development of a tiered model covering the implementation and development options for SSO;
• Creation of concrete implementation modules as a basis for realising the various steps for putting in place a Switzerland-wide SSO among the parties involved;
• Submission of a recommendation for an action plan.

The result is a solution that will enable the successful implementation of a Switzerland-wide Single Sign-On procedure in the complex environment of the e-lib.ch web portal.