With all the changes on Harvard's IT horizon this summer and fall, it can be hard to keep track of what's coming next, let alone how to make the most of new tools and services — that's why the Identity and Access Management (IAM) program at Harvard University Information Technology is pleased to host a Summer Lunch & Learn series of brown-bag talks in July and August. These informal, informative lunch-hour sessions (from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays) will focus on topics including the upcoming HarvardKey rollout (July 8 and Aug. 12), "Person of Interest" sponsored affiliations (July 15 and Aug. 5), provisioning (Aug. 26), and two-step verification (July 29 and Aug. 19). Each session takes place in the first-floor conference room at 8 Story Street, and attendees are encouraged to bring a brown-bag lunch or pick up something tasty from one of the many options steps away in Harvard Square.

"We are so excited to be rolling out such an array of identity and access management tools this fall, and we're hosting this brown-bag series to let folks know more about what is on the horizon," says IAM Community Program Manager Gretchen Grozier. "We know how important it is to provide pre-release information to users across the Harvard Community, and these sessions will explain what's coming next, talk about how to make the most of these new releases, and provide the opportunity to ask questions and get advice."

The IAM team has already been busy during this self-proclaimed "Summer of Outreach," bringing a roving roadshow to Schools and other Harvard constituencies to get the word out about HarvardKey, two-step verification, and new provisioning processes for sponsored affiliations and others — news that has been well received so far. Says Grozier: "After an IAM roadshow earlier this spring, one excited program partner said, 'That’s the best news I’ve heard in a decade!' These Brown Bag talks will help Harvard users understand the new IAM tools that will be making their lives easier — and more secure — this fall."

As with the new IAM solutions themselves, the team hopes that this summer's Lunch & Learn series will help make Harvard users' lives easier, whether they're students, faculty and staff, researchers, application managers, or program or people administrators. "After attending the sessions, we hope participants will have a better understanding of IAM's tools and processes and how they can integrate seamlessly to facilitate access and improve security for their Harvard resources," Grozier says.

See below for the full calendar of Summer Lunch & Learn brown-bag talks:

• July 8: HarvardKey
• July 15: POI Sponsored Affiliations
• July 29: Two-Step Verification
• Aug. 5: POI Sponsored Affiliations
• Aug. 12: HarvardKey
• Aug. 19: Two-Step Verification
• Aug. 26: Provisioning (rescheduled from July 22)

For more information about the Lunch & Learn series, or general questions about the IAM team's fall rollout plans, please contact Gretchen Grozier, IAM community program manager.

>> See all news from the Identity & Access Management program