Internet2 announced the successful completion of an engagement with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) through Internet2’s NET+ program, a portfolio of cloud solutions specifically tailored by and for higher education. This collaboration with Google Cloud is part of an integrated, organization-wide strategy that provides cloud solution requirements developed in concert with the Internet2 member community.
The NET+ GCP offering includes a pre-negotiated, custom contract designed to ease deployment, accelerate adoption, and increase security and data protection for the academic enterprise. Internet2 higher education members benefit from key enhancements to standard GCP education terms, while leveraging the capacity of the Internet2 Network connection for enhanced performance and delivery.
“We’re really excited about this development with Google Cloud,” said Kevin Morooney, vice president of trust and identity & NET+ at Internet2. “Many of our stakeholders are already leveraging Google Cloud services and this is another way that the NET+ program can help campuses create the relationships they need with key infrastructure providers.”
The engagement began with Google joining Internet2 as an industry member in October 2016, followed by the Internet2 NET+ service validation process in May 2017 with the help of technical expertise led by teams from Indiana University, Michigan State University, University of Washington, and Washington University in St Louis on behalf of the research and higher education community.
“Cloud adoption is growing quickly in our research community at Michigan State and adding Google Cloud Platform strengthens our toolset for basic research and development,” said Justin Booth, manager of research services at Michigan State University. “The NET+ GCP service validation process has given us access to a community of technical resources for onboarding and a cost-advantage contract template, something we could not have done on our own. We are eager to evaluate many of the key technologies within GCP, including machine learning, digital campus (IoT), and scalable compute.”
Key features of the NET+ GCP offering include:
- discounted educational pricing for Internet2 higher education members, as well as waivers for data egress fees;
- free deployment and training for Internet2 higher education members;
- ability for a campus to use their own authorized software reseller to acquire the NET+ GCP offering;
- free Orbitera cloud billing reporting and analytics, and Business Associates Agreements (BAA) through Carahsoft, a leading IT solutions provider;
- access to Google’s TPUs (10-30x faster than GPUs), pre-trained ML models like AutoML, and fully managed Cloud ML engine;
- vertically-integrated security model with low latency and high responsiveness;
- provisions addressing compliance with key regulations and standards, including FERPA and FedRAMP, among others; and
- layer 3 routed access to Google for greater speed and security through Internet2 Cloud Exchange.
“The NET+ GCP service validation process has given Indiana University access to a unique offering. This includes a community of technical resources and a collaborative environment to think strategically on how to design this service offering—something we could not have done on our own,” added Bob Flynn, manager, cloud services at Indiana University. “Cloud adoption is essential for our community to stay competitive in the global marketplace. We are excited to provide the GCP toolset to our teaching, learning, and research communities to see where their imaginations can take it.”
In addition to the NET+ GCP offering, Internet2 leverages regional and national trusted research infrastructure to provide private peering services, as well as direct access to Google Cloud Platform Dedicated Interconnect through the Internet2 Cloud Connect service. Regional and state networks and subscribers to NET+ GCP gain access to over 300 gigabit per second of private peering capabilities with Google Cloud through the Internet2 Network, in addition to resilient national interconnects for private GCP Dedicated Interconnect. Together, these advanced, resilient, secure, community-enabled services make it easier for researchers to access and use cloud resources.
Internet2 and Google Cloud have an ongoing collaboration around identity access management and improving support for the InCommon Federation. Close to 1,000 institutions across the U.S. – including colleges, universities, government and nonprofit laboratories, research centers, agencies, and industry partners – benefit from InCommon’s secure, privacy-preserving trust fabric that enables institutions to make appropriate decisions about the release of identity information and the control of access to protected online resources.
About Internet2
Internet2® is a non-profit advanced technology community whose core infrastructure components include the nation’s largest and fastest research and education network that was built to deliver advanced, customized services that are accessed and secured by the community-developed trust and identity framework. For more information, visit www.internet2.edu.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190313005119/en/
Contacts:
Sara Aly
saly@internet2.edu
