diff --git a/global_context.go b/global_context.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b071c09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/global_context.go
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+package gophercloud
+
+// globalContext is the, well, "global context."
+// Most of this SDK is written in a manner to facilitate easier testing,
+// which doesn't require all the configuration a real-world application would require.
+// However, for real-world deployments, applications should be able to rely on a consistent configuration of providers, etc.
+var globalContext *Context
+
+// providers is the set of supported providers.
+var providers = map[string]Provider{
+	"rackspace-us": Provider{
+		AuthEndpoint: "https://identity.api.rackspacecloud.com/v2.0/tokens",
+	},
+	"rackspace-uk": Provider{
+		AuthEndpoint: "https://lon.identity.api.rackspacecloud.com/v2.0/tokens",
+	},
+}
+
+// Initialize the global context to sane configuration.
+// The Go runtime ensures this function is called before main(),
+// thus guaranteeing proper configuration before your application ever runs.
+func init() {
+	globalContext = TestContext()
+	for name, descriptor := range providers {
+		globalContext.RegisterProvider(name, descriptor)
+	}
+}
+
+// Authenticate() grants access to the OpenStack-compatible provider API.
+//
+// Providers are identified through a unique key string.
+// Specifying an unsupported provider will result in an ErrProvider error.
+//
+// The supplied AuthOptions instance allows the client to specify only those credentials
+// relevant for the authentication request.  At present, support exists for OpenStack
+// Identity V2 API only; support for V3 will become available as soon as documentation for it
+// becomes readily available.
+//
+// For Identity V2 API requirements, you must provide at least the Username and Password
+// options.  The TenantId field is optional, and defaults to "".
+func Authenticate(provider string, options AuthOptions) (*Access, error) {
+	return globalContext.Authenticate(provider, options)
+}
+
+// Instantiates a Cloud Servers object for the provider given.
+func ComputeApi(acc AccessProvider, criteria ApiCriteria) (ComputeProvider, error) {
+	return globalContext.ComputeApi(acc, criteria)
+}