We've been working hard on the Assurance Program over the last several months.
It's time for a community update:

• Application Process - Some of you have asked what to expect, and we're still pointing folks to the IAAF section 4 for information on what you'll need to send us to be certified. You'll also include an Application Form that will give us basic information like the entity ids that you'd like certified, requested profile(s), etc. And no worries, we're also developing an easy-to-read summary of the program submission process.

• Technical InterOp - As you may know, we'll be using SAML's AuthnContext to request and send the Assurance Qualifier. Scott Cantor and Tom Scavo, as well as CILogon's Jim Basney and Terry Fleury have developed an initial draft of over-the-wire behavior for IdPs and SPs. We'll be testing and refining it further this month with the Community InterOp Team. You can review the draft on the Assurance wiki as well as two case studies from our last testing, thanks to Virginia Tech and UW-Milwaukee.

• Legal Agreement - We're also finalizing the legal agreement and getting community feedback on that. The agreement will also be reviewed by the federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management Program as part of our compliance to becoming a fully approved Federal Trust Framework Provider.

• Assurance Advisory Committee (AAC) - The AAC (an advisory committee of the InCommon Steering Committee) will be the group reviewing and making recommendations to Steering regarding applications for certifications. In December, the Steering Committee approved the group's charter and roster, and now community members are being asked to serve.

• Implementation Guidance - Once certified, we'll be asking you to post a publicly-readable (anonymized?) version of your practices on the Assurance wiki for others to view. Currently, we're gathering planning documents and approaches. If you have something that you'd like to contribute, just let us know.

• Pricing - We've set the pricing very low in the first year and increase it over three years to the full cost. This is to recognize all of you who are paving the way for others and helping us shape this initial service. The pricing has been approved by Steering and we only have one more step before we can publish it.

As you you can see, there are a number of things we need to wrap up before we start the certification process. As a result, we'll be opening our doors during the first part of February. Looking forward to seeing your application there!

The Assurance Team