NET+ Software as a Service Portfolio Update 2023

By Dana Voss - Internet2 Senior Program Manager

Welcome to the latest update from Internet2’s NET+ Software as a Service Portfolio! As the fall semester nears completion, it’s clear that the world of higher education continues to evolve rapidly. With new faces joining our community and an ever-changing landscape, it’s crucial to stay informed and engaged. In this blog post, we’ll highlight some key activities and developments in the SaaS portfolio. 

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or new to the scene, there’s something here for everyone. We’re going to quickly recap our activities for the year for anyone who might have missed announcements about a future service evaluation, community calls, or service advisory board opportunities. Let’s begin with some brief updates on the NET+ SaaS services and how they foster community engagement. 

NET+ Service Updates and Community Engagement

One of the most rewarding aspects of our role is fostering engagement within our community. Our goal is to involve as many individuals as possible in collaborative problem-solving. 

Here are some updates on the NET+ SaaS programs and the opportunities they offer for community engagement:

• NET+ Canvas –  NET+ Canvas is one of our most popular programs and continues to be our longest-running program as well.  With this in mind, it is important to make sure we continue to get feedback from the community to pivot and make changes to the program, ensuring we continue to meet our members’ needs.  To that end, the NET+ Canvas Service Advisory Board has been busy assisting us in making a number of updates to the program.  You can read more about these updates on our blog or join us for a town hall on Wednesday, Dec. 6, during which we will highlight these updates in depth. A previous town hall you may be interested in was one specifically devoted to Canvas Credentials, which was held on Nov. 13. Check out the recording on the NET+ Canvas wiki.

• NET+ DocuSign – The NET+ DocuSign program held an informative town hall meeting on October 18, and the recording can be found here, NET+ DocuSign wiki. Rachel Sligar, from the University of Virginia, shared details on UVA’s DocuSign implementation, for which her team received a sustainability award. DocuSign covered integrations and API capabilities, including the most common across higher ed institutions (e.g., Hyland (Perceptive Content/OnBase), ServiceNow, PeopleSoft, etc.). They also covered some of the most recent product enhancements and updates, including: Self-serve account cloning, subscription management and feature visibility, web forms enhancements, embedded signing enhancements, agreement actions, free edition of DocuSign Monitor, and training and enablement resources. Our next NET+ DocuSign town hall is coming up in Jan. 2024, and the details will be announced soon. 

• NET+ DryvIQ – The service evaluation for NET+ DryvIQ was successfully completed earlier this month, and the agreement is now available to Internet2 higher education institutions. We held a webinar on Oct. 26 to launch the program. The recording from that call can be found on the NET+ DryvIQ wiki. 
  
  
• NET+ Google Workspace for Education – The NET+ Google Workspace for Education (GW4E) Service Advisory Board is working with Google on the new agreement for 2024. Meanwhile, our 2023 Frequently Asked Questions is a helpful resource for information about the NET+ GW4E program. Users of Google Workspace for Education are encouraged to join the Cloud Storage Management work group. The group meets monthly and is tackling topics surrounding storage management and data migration. Contact NET+ if you have an interest in joining the group. 

• NET+ LabArchives – If you are interested in joining the Internet2 NET+ LabArchives Advisory Board, contact NET+. Internet2’s NET+ program uses the power of shared interests, collective work, and coordinated adoption by its higher education members to work closely with LabArchives and other service providers to tailor their services and agreements to meet the particular needs of higher education. 
  
  
• NET+ Miro – In case you missed it, Miro is now part of the NET+ portfolio. Miro is an online digital whiteboard platform that enables teams to collaborate from anywhere at any time. Let us know if you have any questions or would like to learn more. 
  
  
• NET+ Panopto – Panopto kicked off its first Customer Advisory Board call on Oct. 31. Various universities across the country discussed higher education’s perspective on artificial intelligence and how their universities are balancing their needs and concerns. 
  
  
• NET+ ServiceNow –  This program is our most popular and has been in existence since 2016.  It is available to members and non-members alike and currently has a full Service Advisory Board.  Recently we’ve added a monthly town hall series to a growing list of community resources, such as our monthly newsletters, Institutional Profiles, Higher Education Summit @ Knowledge, and community email list.  As we speak, the Service Advisory Board is negotiating an amendment to this program, which will update the accessibility terms of the customer agreement. We look to finish this work in the coming months.

• NET+ Zoom – Our Zoom Executive Advisory Board (EAB) convened to discuss the need for a step increase model for Zoom pricing rather than a big pricing increase every few years. Zoom and the EAB are in active discussions about a new pricing model, along with adding new services and products to the NET+ agreement. Please reach out to netplus@internet2.edu if you have any concerns or questions about NET+ Zoom program or current pricing.  

We encourage you to participate in our future calls, which range from intimate discussions to larger forums where hundreds of campuses engage with their peers. If you have ideas for other community engagement opportunities, please share them with us. Your input and feedback are greatly appreciated.

Service Advisory Board Engagement

One opportunity for deep engagement is participating in NET+ service advisory boards that provide oversight, community input, and guidance for NET+ programs. We frequently discuss new features and functionality and give input to service providers to help prioritize feature development or business models. We’ll also have open discussions on challenges that campuses are currently facing to share solutions and collaborate with the service provider on these solutions. 

We’re currently recruiting for the NET+ LabArchives service advisory board. Contact netplus@internet2.edu if you’re potentially interested. More details on NET+ service advisory boards can be found on the NET+ wiki. 

Got Ideas, Questions, or Suggestions? Let Us Know!

Please reach out to netplus@internet2.edu if you have any questions about community calls, want to be involved in an advisory board, are interested in one of the services, or just have a question or suggestion! We’re also interested in new NET+ services as well if you have any suggestions. 

Thank you for being a part of our vibrant community, and we look forward to collaborating with you all in the exciting times ahead. Together, we can continue to advance the cloud landscape for research and higher education!

ICYMI

Expanding Community Resources: Sharing Preliminary Results from the 2023 MFA Community Report and the NET+ Duo Companion Guide