The greatest challenges and opportunities for research and education when it comes to implementing cloud services?
AI. As AI invades all the platforms, the question has to be asked if AI is really necessary in all platforms. The greatest challenge is the movement of the vendors to the subscription model for delivery. Both of those challenges are opportunities for the Internet2 community to devise strategies to keep costs and availability in line with what schools can afford. Some basic changes in the law could facilitate the advancement and solutions to the challenges. At some point maybe the U.S. could settle on one Federal privacy policy, but right now it appears that Internet2 and its members are going to deal with 50.
— Matthew D’Emilio Director, University Contracts Office, Carnegie Mellon University
Making the Case for Cloud Services
“My experience with Internet2 can be divided into two phases, before BPLAC (Business, Procurement and Legal Advisory Committee) and after BPLAC,” D’Emilio remarked. “My first introduction to Internet2 was through InCommon. I found that vendors who were InCommon participants were more in tune with the needs of higher ed.”
“Eventually, NET+ agreements made their way to my desk,” he explained.“While I noticed opportunities for NET+ agreements to better serve Carnegie Mellon’s needs, I also saw a chance to influence broader change within the community. I believed that there was room for greater alignment across institutions of all sizes to address diverse requirements more effectively. Recognizing this, Sean O’Brien invited me to join BPLAC, where I’ve gained valuable insights and a deeper understanding of the collaborative potential within NET+ and the positive impact it can have across our community.”
BPLAC assists NET+ leadership in empowering higher education institutions with innovative solutions, fostering strategic advancement in an increasingly technology-driven world. D’Emilio is the current vice chair of the committee.
In addition to his role with BPLAC, D’Emilio became an active participant in the NET+ Service Evaluation process, a collaborative effort to ensure that services meet the stringent technical, security, and operational requirements of Internet2 members across the broader higher education community “For us to have more vetted services, you need people to do this and be a part of the process,” he said. “Well, I wanted to do it because I felt that I could add a voice and a different perspective to the process.”
“I have been fortunate enough to work on two NET+ agreements (NET+ Miro and NET+ Kion),” he continued, “and the process is not unlike the one for the contracts I negotiate solely for Carnegie Mellon, but there are more voices in the room. What you find is that most of the service evaluation team has a variety of risk tolerance levels, which drives a final agreement. It is a compromise for the community and the vendor.”
A Jury of His Peers
D’Emilio welcomes the spirit of compromise that comes with being an active participant in the higher ed cloud community. “I’ve gotten important opportunities to talk with other lawyers and contract specialists in higher ed about their perspectives,” he said. “I need to hear other voices to get a full view of issues. You cannot sit and listen to the same voices over and over again and think that you have any kind of a view of what’s happening.”
At the same time, he also wanted to ensure that the voices of institutions like CMU were heard as well. “My motivation to volunteer was based on my desire to give voice to the private schools that do not have the same legal protections as the state schools,” D’Emilio explained. “I felt that the voice of the private schools was not raised.”
“As a result of agreeing to be on BPLAC, I have met more of my colleagues in this space and have been able to establish relationships of trust where I can pick up the phone and call friends to ask what they are hearing or if they can discuss specifics,” he continued. “Shared experiences in the community create opportunities for a unified front.”
For D’Emilio, the unified front of an active and vibrant cloud community in R&E is critical to CMU and other institutions being able to fulfill their primary purpose. “The goal is to educate students and solve problems,” he explained. “Students should be equipped with the ‘state of the art’ tools to enhance their learning experience. Researchers must be allowed to explore to advance the human condition. Without open access to the technology tools driving the world, our students and researchers would be unused assets in the mission to better the human condition.”
You can be a superhero too!
Check out current opportunities to participate in NET+ working groups, service evaluations, and service advisory boards.
ICYMI