Interactive dynamic Case for the NRENs in a

Interactive dynamic ”Case for the NRENs” in a changing world A suggestion to decide about … Lajos Balint <balint@niif. hu> SIG-Marcomms, Helsinki, 13 -15 March 2018

Introduction ”Case for the NRENs” in a changing world Background: 2009 source document - 2015 resource portal But: changing world … changing circumstances (stakeholders, intentions, functions, geography, users, applications) ● Is there a need for a regularly updated complementary addition? ● Is that a task for us? (A tool primarily for Marcomms? … by Marcomms? ) Possible (debatable) answer: An NREN ”Life-saver handbooklet” (facts, arguments …) - building on background heritage - updating / extending available resources

The basic idea Approach: ● informing / advising the world about us + informing / advising ourselves about the world + informinging / advising ourselves about ourselves ● friendly e-RI → unique ERA → leading edge ERDI → economy, welfare … ● NRENs and GÉANT in their due role by their due behaviour / attitude / habit ● up-to-date ”tool(s)” among the collected ”Case for …” resources (the regularly updated ”bible” for our community: food for lovers and believers of NRENs) ● dynamic rather than static ”e-handbooklet” editions

Why? Marcomms people should be the best respondents to (1): • • • What is an NREN Why NRENs are needed How NRENs operate What is GÉANT Why GÉANT is needed How GÉANT operates • What are the NRENs’ preferences wrt. : • Inclusiveness level within GÉANT • Solidarity level within Cost sharing • Contribution level of NRENs in GÉANT activities • Coverage of (potential) User communities • Coverage of (potential) Service portfolios

Why? Marcomms people should be the best respondents to (2): • What the NRENs are saying about: • Relations to … • Co-operations with … • Serving users like … • Value propositions and positioning … • What the NRENs would do if: • No EC funding … • No GÉANT association … • More competitive commercial services … • More attractive commercial salaries … • What the NRENs do think about: • EC influence on European e-Infrastructures (ECI …) • Government influence on national e-Infrastructures • MS influence on European e-Infrastructures • EC influence on user/usage policies • National influence on user/usage policies

How? Overall investigations within GÉANT (TERENA / DANTE): SERENATE (2003), EARNEST (2007), ASPIRE (2012), …(? ) The 2009 … response: ”Case for the NRENs” source document: • Help in understanding the NRENs • Help in understanding the environment • Help in saving the NREN interests and benefits The 2015 … response: ”Case for the NRENs” resource portal: • Suggestions on communicating by the NRENs • Case examples, success stories, practical advices • Resources and tools (document library and more) Time for revisiting (as much as necessary): • • Re-setting Principles + Attitude + Practice Re-defining Mission + Vision + Strategy + Tasks Re-evaluating Environment + Position Re-collecting Arguments for/again inside & outside views (positive/negative)

Some important changes Recent novelties (changing world on EU and MS level) : • Stakeholders, services, geography (widening coverage? ) • Digital Agenda, DSM, CEF, TESTA, WIFI 4 EU … (governments, industry, healthcare, schools …? ) • Data infrastructures (the cuckoo in the nest? ) • GDPR (what ebout preparedness? ) • Openness (goodbye traditional AUP? ) • Clouds (commercial leadership? ) • SDN, NFV, SDRA … (commercial frontiers again? ) • VRE, VRC (changing framework of doing research? ) • ECI = EOSC + EDI (old/new philosophy? ) • Towards e. Science (NREN/broker support no more needed? ) • Citizen Science emerges (interface for all? ) • …

The question to answer The question now in another form: What about a document helping us (Marcomms etc. ) in critical (emergency) situations – and in everyday activities? ● a dynamic (regularly refreshed) source for principles, basic info, practical guidelines … ● a condensed form of a ”guideline” for communications by the NREN community ● a reference document (collection of info & arguments) for debates - and hesitations ● also a kind of a declaration of our mission, vision, hopes, aims, goals, methods … Not an easy task! Probably not simply a task for a single SIG! Also interactive editing (with FAQ section? ) to be considered.

Possible structure of the handbooklet Section topics revisited, updated, extended, re-formulated now: • • • • Why to develop a Life-saver handbooklet for the NRENs? (Changing world…) What to take into consideration? (Challenges and threats …) Why the NRENs? (Basic mission and function …) History of the NRENs (Learning by experiences …) The NREN model (Hierarchy …) Comparative specialties of the NRENs (wrt. Commercials, governmental …) Stakeholders in the NREN approach (users, developers, operators, providers, funders …) NREN features (technological, organisational, operational, financial … flexible and adaptive) NREN benefits (technical, economical, social … demanding and tolerant) Possible threats (governments, commercials, market inspectors … user communities? ) Sustainabiity (multiple factors … subsidiarity and solidarity) Financial stability (dependable business models … cost sharing) Partnerships (users, subcontractors, vendors, funders …) NREN habit-attitude-behaviour (adaptivity, flexibility, fairness, dependability, quality…) Actual declaration (mission-vision-aims-strategy-goals-tasks-methods-tools …) Looking ahead (what comes next … foreseeable prospective changes)

Possible content of the life-saver (1) • Research Infrastructures – e-Infrastructures • e-RI and the <Education – Research – Development – Innovation> chain • The stakeholders • • • Users /user communities/user classes … Developers Operators Funders (national / European) Strategists – Evangelists – Brokers Competitors – Partners – Subcontractors - Vendors • The services • • Transferring – Processing – Storing Traditional NREN function (networking) Access – exchange – simulate/model – cooperate/store/archive Iaa. S, Middleware, Security, T&I … • Building – developing – operating : our mission and tasks • Why e-Infra? • • • mulidisciplinarity service coverage flexibility trustability responsibility Why NREN? Why GÉANT? Why emergency awareness Remedy issues

Possible content of the life-saver (2) • Responses to the changing world • • • • Changing stakeholders and stakeholder attitudes Impact of Digital Agenda, DSM, CEF, TESTA, WIFI 4 EU … Changing geographical coverage Chaning user coverage Changing user needs, user demands (service coverage) Data infrastructures (appearance of targets among the tools) GDPR Clouds SDN, NFV, SDRA … VRE, VRC Newcomers in e-Infrastructures ECI-EDI-EOSC* Towards e-Science Openness in general Citizen science The future of the ERDI chain (Education-R&D-Innovation) • The ECI-EDI-EOSC initiative – intentions, developments, early conclusions • Possible scenarios, possible strategies, possible policies • • • maintaining leading role in Europe / in MS operating as one of the providers fading slowly away due to various reasons on MS / EU level

The question(s) again: Question 1: Time for revisiting ”The Case …”? Time for a handbooklet? - (In other words: Is there a need for such a ”source of basics” life-saver guideline? ) Question 2: SIG Marcomms to roll the ball? - Is that exciting enough for us here to start an action about that? - Isn’t that too much demanding for us to play an initiating role? Suggested answer 1: First impression / reflection is tested now (yes? No? Perhaps? If … ? ) - (no need if there seems to be no interest) Suggested answer 2: Let’s think twice (if the interest exists) - (joint interest of the NREN community + special interest on Marcomms behalf) - Next steps (Refined draft? SIGs? Board? GA? )

Thanks … … in the hope that the first edition of the ”NREN life-saver handbooklet” is coming out soon ; -) Lajos Balint KIFU balint@niif. hu