CASE STUDY
Impact of Transitioning from IP-Based to Federated Access: A Case Study on Reducing Support Requests
CASE STUDY
For years, the University Libraries at Coastal Carolina University struggled to provide seamless and intuitive access to scholarly online resources. While federated access was an option, financial and staffing limitations led us to continue using IP-based access, which had been in place since 2011. Maintaining this access modality was the more cost-effective choice and helped us avoid the service disruptions associated with migrating to a new platform.
However, this trade-off resulted in a frustrating user experience. Access was not available at the point of need, placing a continuous support burden on a small team of specialists. Additionally, we were concerned that the complicated access process unintentionally drove users to shadow repositories like Sci-Hub and LibGen to find the information they needed. These sites pose security and privacy risks, disrupt library collection management, and do not track retractions or verify the accuracy of their content. Despite these concerns, the challenges of accessing resources through our system often led users to seek out these alternatives.
To improve access, reduce support burdens, and uphold research integrity, the library chose to migrate to OpenAthens as its authentication solution for federated and proxy access to online resources. The platform became operational on July 22, 2021, and we officially launched it for users on August 16 by updating all access points in our discovery platform and Databases A-Z list with OpenAthens-encoded URLs.
The migration from location-based access to OpenAthens enabled federated access for 36 existing platforms, while 66 continued using proxy authentication. Because most major publishers and aggregators supported SAML-based connections through the OpenAthens federation, 95% of our electronic collection—1,209,521 items—was authenticated via federated access. This left only 62,928 items, or 5% of the collection, still requiring proxy authentication (see Figure 1: Number of items using federated vs. proxy authentication).
Figure 1. Number of items using federated vs. proxy authentication
About six months after the migration to OpenAthens, the University Libraries Information Technology and Collections Department (ITAC) team saw a significant decrease in time spent troubleshooting and resolving access issues. The department typically received over 200 support requests annually, most related to online resource access. In 2019 and 2020, ITAC handled 222 and 209 requests, respectively, while all library resources were accessed via IP access.
In early 2021, as a test case for federated access, the library participated in Elsevier’s SAML Customer Usage Pilot, transitioning 24,249 journal titles on ScienceDirect from proxy authentication to SAML-based federated access. Despite significant changes to the interface and user experience, no access disruptions were reported. This trend continued after the full implementation of OpenAthens, with support requests declining as more databases adopted federated access (see Figure 2: Support requests compared with # of platforms using federated authentication). The number of support requests dropped as follows:
- 150 support requests in the last 4.5 months of 2021
- 76 requests in 2022
- 44 requests in 2023
- 46 requests in 2024
Figure 2. Support requests compared with # of platforms using federated authentication
Based on this data, we concluded that transitioning from proxy-based to federated identity and access management was the primary factor in reducing support requests. This conclusion is further supported by our experience during the migration to OpenAthens in August 2021.
To implement the transition, we re-encoded, or “Athenized,” all resource links in our A-Z lists and discovery platform, officially launching OpenAthens on August 16, 2021. However, we later realized that the infrastructure had been fully operational since July 22, 2021. While reviewing the OpenAthens usage dashboard, we discovered that authentication traffic had already begun, with 1,512 successful sessions recorded in the three weeks before we updated public access points—reaching up to 137 sessions per day (see Figure 3: Authentication activity before going live with OpenAthens).
The most plausible explanation is that users accessed resources via federated authentication directly through vendor platforms after starting their search on the open web. Despite the unfamiliar experience, they navigated the process intuitively without requiring library staff assistance. Since no support requests were received during this period, we concluded that providing access at the point of need significantly improved the user experience and was a key factor in reducing overall support requests.
Figure 3. Authentication activity before going live with OpenAthens
Accurately measuring the total staff time saved from this migration is challenging due to the varying types, complexities, and scope of support requests. Since this data falls outside our technical support system’s parameters, we have chosen not to track it manually. However, with nearly an 80% reduction in support requests from 2021 to 2024, it is reasonable to conclude that the time required for support staff to resolve access issues has decreased proportionally.
“I expected migrating to federated identity and access management would improve the online access experience to our user community, but I was genuinely surprised by how quickly and dramatically our support requests dropped. For years, troubleshooting access issues were a constant and repetitive uphill battle for our small team. Seeing support requests drop so dramatically validated the effort and confirmed we were finally giving our users a more intuitive, reliable access experience.”
John Felts, Head of Information Technology and Collections, CCU Libraries
In conclusion, while the exact time savings cannot be precisely measured, the significant drop in support requests clearly indicates a reduced staff workload. This migration has not only streamlined access to scholarly resources but has also allowed library staff to focus on more impactful initiatives. By improving the user experience and minimizing access issues, federated access has proven to be a valuable investment in both operational efficiency and the university’s broader research mission.