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ASPIRE STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPBrussels

Thursday 13 September 2012

www.terena.org/aspire

Michael NowlanConsultant

Michael.Nowlan@MickSol.com

THE FUTURE ROLES OF NRENS

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NREN Futures Panel

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Methodology

›NREN Manager Questionnaire›NREN Client Questionnaire› Interviews with Visionaries› Panel Brainstorming

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NREN Manager Questionnaire

› Probably the most illuminating› About 50% of the TERENA members responded› Laid the groundwork for the rest of the study

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NREN Client Questionnaire

› Reluctance of NRENs to participate›Questionnaire “fatigue” › Self selecting responses› Similar reaction to EARNEST study› Responses confirm NREN survey›… but do NRENs know enough about their clients & vice-versa?

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Interviews with Visionaries& Panel Brainstorming

› Results confirm other work› Plenty of strategic thinking out there, but it needs to be harnessed and shared› Indications that some NRENs do not have formal, published strategies

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SWOT Analysis

› Full results in Appendix 2› Some items fall into several categories

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SWOT Analysis – some points

› Monopoly status of the NREN› Staff Turnover› Narrow Financial Base› Trusted Partners› Market Followers› Cooperation between NRENs› Competition between NREN and Clients› Consolidators or Aggregators› Technicians or Businesses› Fragile Client base› => How does your NREN fit into the SWOT?

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Issue: The number of bodies and committees involved in discussing policy and management of the NREN/European R&E networking sector is large. Although there is some cross membership and liaison, the consequence is too many meetings, resulting in inefficiency and duplication.

Recommendation 1The European R&E Networking Community (NRENs, DANTE, TERENA, and user stakeholders) need an efficient strategic management body that is able to act as a single point of contact and is able to respond quickly and with authority.

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Issue: The number of bodies and committees involved in discussing policy and management of the NREN/European R&E networking sector is large. Although there is some cross membership and liaison, the consequence is too many meetings, resulting in inefficiency and duplication.

Recommendation 2under the auspices of this body, a high-level task force should be created in which decision-makers work together to define a single strategic vision for pan-European R&E Networking. Failure to achieve this may lead to the fragmentation of services.

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Issue: For many NRENs, the global economic crisis has intensified the issue of ensuring the sustainability of funding. Governments and the institutions that fund them are seeking ways to cut their expenditure. In some European countries, this is leading to the development of Public Service Networks (PSNs), intended to serve a range of publicly-funded institutions. NRENs dependence on periodic funding injections and money from short-term projects can be problematic for NRENs, and can hinder them in running reliable, long-term, stable services.

Recommendation 3NRENs should re-consider their funding models and move to more diversified and sustainable models. This could embrace close collaboration with Public Service Networks but may require re-framing of some regulatory positions: Connection Policies and Acceptable use Policies. A major goal should be to increase inter-institutional collaboration, aggregation of demand, joint procurement, and sharing of services.

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Issue: NRENs will find themselves operating in a harsher world than in the past. Commercial providers are becoming capable of providing many of the basic services once provided by the community. It is vital for NRENs to fully understand their operating environment and to adapt if necessary, if they are to survive - and indeed, to thrive. NRENs should review the makeup of senior management to ensure that there is suitable succession-planning in place, and that new managers have suitable management skills and vision. To compete with the commercial world, NRENs need to adopt commercial skills and policies.

 Recommendation 4NRENs need to take a strategic approach to their business planning and service delivery, and develop a thorough understanding of their own user base, including the needs of their international users and the external operating environment.

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Issue: NRENs will find themselves operating in a harsher world than in the past. Commercial providers are becoming capable of providing many of the basic services once provided by the community. It is vital for NRENs to fully understand their operating environment and to adapt if necessary, if they are to survive - and indeed, to thrive.NRENs should review the makeup of senior management to ensure that there is suitable succession-planning in place, and that new managers have suitable management skills and vision. To compete with the commercial world, NRENs need to adopt commercial skills and policies.

Recommendation 5A European user-requirements compendium should be developed by TERENA, so that the R&E network providers have a strategic view of the demand side of the sector.

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Issue: NRENs will find themselves operating in a harsher world than in the past. Commercial providers are becoming capable of providing many of the basic services once provided by the community. It is vital for NRENs to fully understand their operating environment and to adapt if necessary, if they are to survive - and indeed, to thrive.

Recommendation 6NRENS should not compete with the commercial providers, particularly on price. They should act as a trusted broker that is an integral part of the community by providing expertise, aggregating demand, and adding value through negotiation - including the integration of support for community AAI systems.

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Issue: NRENs will find themselves operating in a harsher world than in the past. Commercial providers are becoming capable of providing many of the basic services once provided by the community. It is vital for NRENs to fully understand their operating environment and to adapt if necessary, if they are to survive - and indeed, to thrive. NRENs should review the makeup of senior management to ensure that there is suitable succession-planning in place, and that new managers have suitable management skills and vision. To compete with the commercial world, NRENs need to adopt commercial skills and policies.

Recommendation 5A European user-requirements compendium should be developed by TERENA, so that the R&E network providers have a strategic view of the demand side of the sector.

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What Now ?

› Some NRENs show real leadership in both their business attitudes and services› Some NRENs need to look seriously at activities›NRENs need to act together›Need to integrate finding of other ASPIRE panels

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