A headache-free tool that helps librarians connect to thousands of publisher platforms and future-proofs their authentication needs? It’s not a dream.
At OpenAthens, we’re all about connecting people to information. And we’re focused on supporting librarians, which is why the OpenAthens complete solution offers you a tool that provides your patrons with smooth access to high-quality digital content from trustworthy sources—regardless of where they start their search journey.
It is a fully managed service that provides the federated and single sign-on SAML-authenticated access solutions supported by most big provider platforms. But unlike many access management services, the OpenAthens complete solution is comprehensive, so it also supports IP-recognition and proxy solutions. Though they’re becoming outdated, these are still in use—especially by smaller, specialist publishers who lack the resources or the need to set up a federated solution.
Undoubtedly, in time, more providers will migrate to federated authentication. It is more secure and expands opportunities to offer new features that improve user experience. But when a provider does up their authentication game, libraries that are using OpenAthens won’t need a new tool or to do any set-up in-house. The switch should be seamless.
Easy setup
OpenAthens is easy to implement. It slots readily into existing library systems and works with them. We provide onboarding support, and our technical help desk is available 20 hours a day to handle queries. We take care of ongoing maintenance, updates, certificates, and security testing, freeing up your time to focus on library services.
Smoother user journeys and better business decisions
With just one set of user credentials to remember, users can browse and search more easily. There will be fewer forgotten password queries and other user glitches to sort out.
OpenAthens provides detailed usage data so you can see which resources are being used (and which aren’t) by which user groups. (Crucially, though, it’s a secure system that protects users’ identities; it doesn’t release any personally identifiable information.) You can easily manage permissions based on licensing requirements and make better purchasing decisions.
Publishing platforms and technologies are evolving rapidly. The OpenAthens complete solution is an authentication management service that is evolving alongside to ensure your users have easy access to resources now and in the years to come.
Like to know more? Get in touch.
