16
May
2022

Community Engagement 101: How to Use Market Insights to Build Consultative Relationships

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By Amber Walters - Community Success Coordinator, Internet2 Industry Engagement

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Internet2 industry members have exclusive access to members-only resources including market intelligence white papers that provide an insight into the research and education (R&E) community. 

In January and February 2022, the Center for Digital Education in partnership with Internet2 conducted a survey among higher education IT stakeholders to better understand barriers to IT buying and procurement and the top three IT spending priorities for higher education institutions — 4-year public, 4-year private and 2-year community college. 

The lack of resources and trained staff to keep up with IT needs are some of the most common challenges participating higher education institutions identified in the survey. This influences stakeholders’ decisions to adopt and invest in networking, cloud, security, and identity services and solutions.

Join Us to Learn About IT Buying and Procurement Trends
Internet2 members are invited to join the IT Buying and Procurement Webinar on June 30, 2022, at 2 p.m. ET. Join Ben Fineman, Internet2 director of Industry Engagement, to discuss the “IT Buying and Procurement Trends and Stakeholders in Higher Education” market intelligence white paper from the Center for Digital Education.
Register today!
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To get the full results, Internet2 members are invited to join a webinar on June 30, 2022, at 2 p.m. ET with Ben Fineman, director of Industry Engagement, for a discussion on the “IT Buying and Procurement Trends and Stakeholders in Higher Education” market intelligence white paper from the Center for Digital Education.  

The white paper highlights the importance of collaboration, partnerships, and engagement between institutions. Respondents identified engagement with their peers as the most important way to learn about new technologies and solutions for their institutions. Industry plays a critical role in supporting higher education institutional capacity in solution design and implementation.

Internet2 industry membership provides a variety of benefits for service providers to engage with the R&E community and help higher education institutions overcome barriers to solution procurement to meet their IT needs. Here are a few engagement opportunities and tips for Internet2 industry members to take advantage of market insights to build consultative partnerships. 

Host a Thought Leadership Webinar or Best Practices Tutorial. Webinars and tutorials can be great tools to help the R&E community gain skills and resources in solution design and implementation by showcasing how your company’s products, services, and engagement solved a shared challenge for a university customer or partner. Internet2 is happy to participate in and promote relevant webinars and tutorials from industry members on the Internet2 website, email campaigns, social media, and blog posts. 

Complete the Internet2 Cloud Scorecard and List your Company in the Cloud Scorecard Directory. This vendor self-assessment helps higher education institutions evaluate which cloud solutions meet their security, compliance, and technology requirements using standards and best practices developed within the R&E community. Companies can list more than one cloud service if applicable to connect with higher education institutions searching for cloud services. Participation in the Cloud Scorecard is free for Internet2 industry members.  

Become a Sponsor and Speaker at Internet2 Events. Internet2 hosts a variety of topical,  professional development, and training events throughout the year. Attending and presenting at Internet2 events is a great way to share best practices and expertise with the R&E community. Internet2 offers high-impact opportunities for your company to help build a community of practice and gain visibility and recognition as an industry partner through event sponsorship. Custom packages are available to meet your company’s goals.

Contact industry@internet2.edu to take advantage of the featured consultative engagement opportunities. 

ICYMI: Community Engagement 101 Series