By
Nick Lewis - Internet2 Program Manager
You can get leading cloud services on your own. Or, you can get those same services – configured specifically for research and education (R&E).
This is one of the most popular sentiments from long-time NET+ subscribers and supporters. Leading universities around the country created Internet2 NET+ for leverage in the cloud services industry – to optimize the terms, pricing, features and functionality, technical integration, security, and compliance requirements R&E institutions need for smooth deployment of leading cloud services.
Because peers have evaluated and optimized NET+ services, R&E institutions can manage risk, maximize opportunity and implement services quickly. Here are just a few ways that happens:
| Manage Risk | Maximize Opportunity |
| Rest assured that peers have performed quality control and due diligence for pre-negotiated key contract terms | Save time, effort, and cost to invest more resources in strategic initiatives |
| Learn from the work, discoveries, and challenges of other leaders and institutions | Gain a competitive edge by providing services faster |
| Limit your security, accessibility, and funding risks | Leverage the scale of the broader R&E community to align specialized skills from different institutions |
| Avoid vendor lock-in with better out clauses and data ownership terms | Drive competition among cloud services providers and improve R&E terms |
| Don’t get caught off guard as market dynamics change | Rely on community expertise and ensure service customizations for R&E are achieved |
There are so many more ways NET+ is designed to help subscribers do more, do better, and do faster in the cloud.
About the Author(s)
Nick Lewis (CISSP) is a Program Manager for Security and Identity. Nick has held positions at Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Children’s Hospital Boston, and was ISO at Saint Louis University. Nick holds an MS in Information Assurance from Norwich and Telecommunications from MSU.