Stakeholder Voices Reflect Commitment to Internet2

Stakeholder feedback enables Internet2 to continuously improve its service to the research and education community. During the initial phases of the Internet2 Roadmap in 2022 and 2023, Internet2 determined three areas or themes that the strategic priorities naturally fit:

• Infrastructure and Services
• Convening, Collaborating, and Partnering
• Innovation and Transformation.

Detailed information for each theme developed in the initial phases is as follows:  

Infrastructure and Services Priorities:

Within the Infrastructure and Services theme, it was expressed in the initial phases that Internet2 should:

• Deliver effective communications to its community and ensure that the community has access to timely, accurate, and relevant information about the entire portfolio of Internet2 services and all service offerings need to be easily understood and found through Internet2 digital communications.
• Advance Cloud/NET+ offerings to bring new services to the community (e.g., investigate NET+ security- oriented services and increase support for the Vendor Management Working Group, CLASS, Cloud Scorecard, and Institutional Profiles).
• Continue to enhance the network, including additional capacity, performance, flexibility, automation, routing integrity, and orchestration.
• Integrate comprehensive network monitoring solutions and cloud services to enhance end-to-end visibility and performance across networks.
• Continue to advance and extend eduroam.
• Continue support for InCommon and production of the InCommon Steering Committee 2024 Futures Report.
• Work with the community to influence vendor and government decisions related to federated credential management, digital identity guidelines, and digital credential futures.

Convening, Collaborating, and Partnering

Within the Convening, Collaborating, and Partnering theme, it was expressed in the initial phases that Internet2 should:

• Create increasingly meaningful in-person and online experiences – from the onboarding of members and/or service subscribers, and throughout individual and organizational engagement across Internet2.
• Facilitate community engagement initiatives, sharing best practices and fostering discussions about the value proposition for diverse types of member institutions, organizations, and industry partners.
• Revitalize Internet2 communication materials, methods, digital platforms, and storytelling efforts.
• Continue to evolve marketing and branding strategies, approaches, and materials.
• Cultivate partnerships to explore effective ways to enhance network operation capabilities and service advancements.
• Enhance and strengthen the community by broadening participation and impact.

Innovation and Transformation 

Within the Innovation and Transformation theme, it was expressed in the initial phases that Internet2 should:

• Establish a working group on innovation and transformation, chaired by community members.
• Establish a community working group to assess R&E strategies to manage, curate, and access big data (e.g., Cloud Storage Working Group and Cloud storage RFI).
• Establish a community working group to find new partnership opportunities for open science initiatives and consortia.
• Partner with other R&E associations/consortia to undertake an assessment of Security, Compliance, and Risk Management Services.
• Partner with other professional organizations to identify gaps and confirm areas of interest that creates and sustains a workforce pipeline.