The Fourth IDEM Conference kicks off with a forward-looking perspective. Interoperability is the new key challenge for the coming years. The digital identity system used in education and research must become interoperable with public administration services. Similarly, students, researchers, and citizens should be able to seamlessly manage their digital identity, whether issued by their institution, civil registry, or another public office. This federated identity interoperability will not only simplify access but also maximize the return on investments in e-government initiatives.
One of the most natural areas for collaboration between universities and local communities, particularly municipalities, is providing Wi-Fi access to the Internet. The use cases presented at the conference will highlight successful implementations and encourage further partnerships based on this model, extending interoperability to relevant commercial stakeholders as well. Studying and experimenting with interoperable solutions means actively working to eliminate the barriers that still prevent organizations from fully participating in identity federations.
Even in the realm of cultural, artistic, and documentary heritage, unified access to resources can lead to significant cost savings in developing new services—essential for the growth and promotion of these often underestimated sectors.
After four years of official activity, the IDEM Federation has driven numerous initiatives and success stories. Authentication and authorization infrastructures have now matured, streamlining identity management for organizations while enabling more efficient and user-friendly services, paving the way for stronger public-private collaborations.
Moreover, with centralized identity management, organizations can ensure high standards of security and user privacy. This is a major strength, particularly on an international scale, where interoperability depends on aligning with globally shared codes of conduct and standardized trust frameworks.
