Open Provisioning Framework (OPF)

Website

https://dapsi.ngi.eu/hall-of-fame/open-provisioning-framework-opf/

With the Open Provisioning Framework (OPF) we aim to analyze and standardize user provisioning for email and groupware systems and services and to provide an Open Source reference implementation.

ProjectID

NGI-DAPSI:PROJECT-41

Acronym

dapsiPrj41

Additional Info

The core goal of data portability is to allow users to switch providers more easily by providing means to move their personal data from the old to the new provider. However, there are further obstacles in the process of switching a provider. Foremost, users need to create (“provision”) empty mailboxes at the destination provider before being able to use our service. This is because the vast majority of hosting and service providers does not offer an API for this purpose which we could use to solve this task on behalf of users. When considering the switch of more complex organizations such as SMEs with dozens of employees, provisioning also involves the setup of groups and shared resources such as rooms or bookable equipment and many other aspects. E.g., vendors such as Microsoft 365 offer multiple options for modeling “shared mailboxes” or “public folders”, which is a constant topic in customer consulting and a big obstacle for switching providers.

Enduser Relevance

The work on standardization in the field of provisioning proposed in the frame of the OPF project will help to increase service portability and user-friendliness in the process of switching providers.