Federated access, RA21, Seamless Access, GetFTR… A brief explainer

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The Link
By: Guest contributor, Mon Mar 9 2020
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Author: Guest contributor

What’s the problem that’s being solved with all of these things?


The way that researchers have traditionally authenticated to publisher websites to access institutional subscriptions is via IP address. The device (desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile phone…) that the researcher uses is connected to their institutional network, the publisher’s websites sees the researcher coming from the institution's network based on their IP, and grants them access. 


GetFTR_Logo_Full_URL
IP is working less-and-less well. Researchers are less often connected to their institutional networks when they’re coming to publishers’ websites, they’re hitting paywalls that they shouldn’t, wasting their time, getting frustrated and in some cases turning to pirated online copies. Authentication and access is researchers #1 problem on Springer Nature websites according to our user satisfaction surveys. 


Institutions also less often have unique, static IPs that can be used to facilitate IP access. Implementing security software like ZScaler, for example, means that publishers see researchers on that insitution’s network coming from a shared, not a unique IP address.


So how do you solve this problem for researchers and for institutions?


What should I do as a librarian?


Are you turning off IP access?!?!


What about privacy? Are you trying to steal researchers’ data?!?!


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Author: Guest contributor

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