Internet2 Expands Cloud Service Offerings For 221 Universities

Philadelphia—Oct. 2, 2012—Internet2, the research and education consortium involving 221 of the nation’s largest research universities, announced today that nine cloud service providers, Microsoft 365, Eduroam, Code 42 Software, ICE Health Systems, Instructure, LectureTools, North Carolina State University, Splunk and Vidyo, joined the Internet2 NET+ Services program. There are now 29 providers and 150 universities involved in the program representing tens of millions of dollars in service value. The announcement was made at the 2012 Internet2 Fall Member Meeting in Philadelphia.

“More and more cloud service providers are discovering the value of working with our members to identify effective solutions to campus challenges and the best methods to quickly scale services that benefit teaching, learning and research,” said Interent2 CEO and President H. David Lambert. “We are advocates for vendors and universities to collaborate with one another for the dynamic results required in today’s research and education environment that weren’t even possible a few years ago.”

The Internet2 NET+ Services and the Internet2 Network enable transformational solutions for education delivery and provide better-yielding solutions for university business functions – helping higher education institutions remain competitive nationally and globally. Internet2 NET+ Services will include the following new cloud service providers:

Code 42 Software is the creator of the CrashPlan PROe award-winning onsite, offsite and cloud backup solutions to deliver high-performance hardware and easy-to-use software solutions that protect the world’s data.

Eduroam (education roaming) is the secure, worldwide roaming access service developed in Europe for the international research and education community. Eduroam allows students, researchers and staff from participating institutions to obtain Internet connectivity across campus and when visiting other participating institutions by simply opening their laptop. This service is now available to all Internet2 members at no additional cost.

ICE Health Systems is a revolutionary dental software system whose development has been driven by a distinguished group of dentists who practice across several specialties in both university and private clinics. ICE Health Systems began as Patient Education software, and has become a complete, fully integrated dental practice management solution. Three dental schools deans at Internet2 campuses sponsored this service. The program is expected to be a huge benefit to dental programs looking for cloud services.

Instructure, founded by graduate students in collaboration with educational institutions, provides Canvas – the open, easy-to-use, cloud-native learning platform that benefits teaching, learning and administration. Seven universities will establish an advisory board to provide input on future developments.

LectureTools leverages modern technologies and develops software products that improve the classroom learning experience for all instructors and students. Originally a research project in 2005 by Dr. Perry Samson, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Michigan, the initial version of LectureTools was developed to make large introductory college classes seem smaller and less intimidating.

Microsoft Office 365 delivers the power of cloud productivity and combines the familiar Office desktop suite with cloud-based versions of Microsoft’s next-generation communications and collaboration services: Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Lync Online. Internet2 NET+ Office 365 intends to include an online community forum and knowledge exchange around best practices for migration and use cases.

Splunk turns machine data into real-time insights for IT and business by collecting, indexing and harnessing the massive volumes of valuable data generated by IT infrastructure – physical, virtual and in the cloud.

Vidyo supplies video communication and real-time collaboration anytime, anywhere on any device connected to the Internet or wireless networks. Vidyo technology enables natural, HD, multi-point video conferences on Windows or Mac desktops, laptops, tablets and smart phones, telepresence solutions, and affordable cloud-based broadcast solutions. Internet2 provides additional technical and functional integrations with the Vidyo Platform to create customized solutions through the Internet2 NET+ Vidyo offering which is available to member universities and colleges.

A complete listing of the current 29 Internet2 NET+ Services and the development phase of each service can be found at www.internet2.edu/netplus. Before an Internet2 NET+ Service is offered to the Internet2 community, it is put through a series of increasingly rigorous tests. Each phase brings the service closer to production, until it is made available to all eligible institutions. To participate in any Internet2 NET+ Service, email netplus@internet2.edu.

About Internet2

Internet2® is a member-owned advanced technology community founded by the nation’s leading higher education institutions in 1996. Internet2 provides a collaborative environment for U.S. research and education organizations to solve common technology challenges, and to develop innovative solutions in support of their educational, research, and community service missions. For more information, visit www.internet2.edu.

For media assistance, contact Todd Sedmak at 804-497-0282 (cell) or todd@internet2.edu.

Stay connected to ICE – follow us on twitter @ICEHealth or visit our YouTube Channel ICE Health Systems.

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