Both sides, now Are we builders or users of services in the cloud?

Joni Mitchell – Both sides, now “ I've looked at clouds from both sides now From up and down, and still somehow It's cloud illusions I recall I really don't know clouds at all”

Joni Mitchell – Both sides, now

we live in a rapidly changing environment

we live in a rapidly changing environment

Web 2.0

Web 2.0

services in the “cloud”

services in the “cloud”

impact on the way universities deliver and consume services

impact on the way universities deliver and consume services

impact on Eduserv

impact on Eduserv

primary focus of this talk is Eduserv

primary focus of this talk is Eduserv

but issues are pertinent to funding bodies, universities and individuals

but issues are pertinent to funding bodies, universities and individuals

what is Eduserv?

what is Eduserv?

a charity

a charity

a somewhat unusual charity (you won’t find us rattling tins on the high street)

a somewhat unusual charity

(you won’t find us rattling tins on the high street)

income thru sale of services

income thru sale of services

an educational charity

an educational charity

“a not for profit IT services company”

“a not for profit IT services company”

what is our mission?

what is our mission?

“to realise the benefits of ICT for learners, researchers and the institutions that serve them”

“to realise the benefits of ICT for learners, researchers and the institutions that serve them”

where are we from?

where are we from?

Bath

Bath

the University of Bath

the University of Bath

started in the pre-Web era

started in the pre-Web era

spun out of the University more than 10 years ago

spun out of the University more than 10 years ago

spun out as a charity

spun out as a charity

seen as the best way of keeping our assets within the education community

seen as the best way of keeping our assets within the education community

what are we known for?

what are we known for?

2 things primarily

2 things primarily

1st thing we are known for…

1st thing we are known for…

Access and Identity Management Athens (centralised service funded partly by the JISC to provide single sign-on to bibliographic and other network services – still in use by the NHS)

Access and Identity Management

Athens

(centralised service funded partly by the JISC to provide single sign-on to bibliographic and other network services – still in use by the NHS)

more recently evolved into a new product suite known as OpenAthens

more recently evolved into a new product suite known as OpenAthens

outsourced “access and identity” solution for institutions and service providers

outsourced “access and identity” solution for institutions and service providers

we handle the technology that allows institutions and service providers to join the UK Access Management Federation

we handle the technology that allows institutions and service providers to join the UK Access Management Federation

and other federations

and other federations

“we support Shibboleth so you don’t have to”

“we support Shibboleth so you don’t have to”

but we also support other emerging “identity” standards… SAML, OpenID and Information Cards

but we also support other emerging “identity” standards…

SAML, OpenID and Information Cards

with the intention of future-proofing services to institutions and content providers

with the intention of future-proofing services to institutions and content providers

2nd thing we are known for…

2nd thing we are known for…

Licence negotiation Chest

Licence negotiation

Chest

the benefits of negotiating as a community

the benefits of negotiating as a community

for software (and other stuff)

for software (and other stuff)

both Athens and Chest have been very successful

both Athens and Chest have been very successful

and have been provided in a sustainable way for the benefit of the community

and have been provided in a sustainable way for the benefit of the community

Athens has been a highly reliable part of the academic infrastructure for the last 10 years or so

Athens has been a highly reliable part of the academic infrastructure for the last 10 years or so

we also do Web hosting, CMS and bespoke Web development

we also do Web hosting, CMS and bespoke Web development

sometimes for the education sector

sometimes for the education sector

but mainly for the wider public sector

but mainly for the wider public sector

again, very successfully

again, very successfully

success is what makes us sustainable and cost-effective – in delivering services we tend to generate operating surpluses

success is what makes us sustainable and cost-effective – in delivering services we tend to generate operating surpluses

those surpluses are given back to the community (because we are a charity)

those surpluses are given back to the community (because we are a charity)

which we do mainly thru our programme of research grants

which we do mainly thru our programme of research grants

managed by the Eduserv Foundation

managed by the Eduserv Foundation

which is where I come in

which is where I come in

we are a small funding body

we are a small funding body

up to £.5M a year (but typically less in actual grants)

up to £.5M a year (but typically less in actual grants)

typically, we fund 3 research projects per year

typically, we fund 3 research projects per year

where each project is equivalent of 1 FTE

where each project is equivalent of 1 FTE

for example

for example

last year, we funded 4 projects related to Second Life

last year, we funded 4 projects related to Second Life

Sloodle (Dan Livingstone, University of West of Scotland)

Sloodle

(Dan Livingstone, University of West of Scotland)

Learning from Virtual Worlds, Teaching in Second Life (Diane Carr, London Knowledge Lab)

Learning from Virtual Worlds, Teaching in Second Life

(Diane Carr, London Knowledge Lab)

Theatron (Hugh Dennard, KCL – though currently being managed by Mark Childs)

Theatron

(Hugh Dennard, KCL – though currently being managed by Mark Childs)

Modelling 4 All (Ken Kahn, University of Oxford) (not really Second Life at all)

Modelling 4 All

(Ken Kahn, University of Oxford)

(not really Second Life at all)

and this year…

and this year…

not announced yet

not announced yet

but

but

I’ll tell you anyway

I’ll tell you anyway

3 projects

3 projects

Creating a W3C Standard for Open Social Networking Data (Harry Halpin, University of Edinburgh)

Creating a W3C Standard for Open Social Networking Data

(Harry Halpin, University of Edinburgh)

Rhizome: exploring strands of online identity in learning, teaching and research (Steven Warburton, KCL)

Rhizome: exploring strands of online identity in learning, teaching and research

(Steven Warburton, KCL)

This is me (Shirley Williams, University of Reading) (small grant)

This is me

(Shirley Williams, University of Reading)

(small grant)

all in the area of social networks and identity on the Web (open standards and digital literacy)

all in the area of social networks and identity on the Web

(open standards and digital literacy)

we also do other stuff

we also do other stuff

an annual symposium and other meetings

an annual symposium and other meetings

work on interoperability standards

work on interoperability standards

advice on good practice in areas like metadata, middleware, elearning, virtual worlds, Web 2.0, open access, copyright, information literacy, …

advice on good practice in areas like metadata, middleware, elearning, virtual worlds, Web 2.0, open access, copyright, information literacy, …

but…

but…

but…

but…

we’ve increasingly come to realise that

we’ve increasingly come to realise that

associating our grant-giving with the “Foundation” brand tends to dilute the overall charitable brand of Eduserv

associating our grant-giving with the “Foundation” brand tends to dilute the overall charitable brand of Eduserv

the “value” of grant-giving minimal in comparison to “value” of services

the “value” of grant-giving minimal in comparison to “value” of services

and small scale of grant-giving makes it difficult to ensure impact and “value for money” (in the way that JISC can for example)

and small scale of grant-giving makes it difficult to ensure impact and “value for money”

(in the way that JISC can for example)

particularly when we try and focus on education generally

particularly when we try and focus on education generally

as a result we are beginning to think differently

as a result we are beginning to think differently

new focus on delivering “services” to “higher education”

new focus on delivering “services” to “higher education”

with the intention of offering large-scale, resilient, sustainable “data centre” capability (rack-space and managed hosting)

with the intention of offering large-scale, resilient, sustainable “data centre” capability

(rack-space and managed hosting)

offering hosted “services”, a “cloud” platform, identity management solutions and licence negotiation (including SaaS)

offering hosted “services”, a “cloud” platform, identity management solutions and licence negotiation (including SaaS)

but in order to do that properly we need to understand your requirements (that means you)

but in order to do that properly

we need to understand your requirements

(that means you)

more importantly, we need to understand whether we can do this sustainably in an environment where existing Web 2.0 services and infrastructure are free/very cheap

more importantly, we need to understand whether we can do this sustainably in an environment where existing Web 2.0 services and infrastructure are free/very cheap

what kinds of “services”?

what kinds of “services”?

we don’t know yet, but… data repositories, portfolio, assessment, storage infrastructure, high-performance computing, virtual world hosting (e.g. OpenSim), …

we don’t know yet, but…

data repositories, portfolio, assessment, storage infrastructure, high-performance computing, virtual world hosting (e.g. OpenSim), …

will you still do Web hosting and CMS type solutions? yes

will you still do Web hosting and CMS type solutions?

yes

will you still do licence negotiation? yes

will you still do licence negotiation?

yes

will you still do access and identity management (OpenAthens)? yes

will you still do access and identity management (OpenAthens)?

yes

will you still work with the wider public sector and other areas of education? yes (because that work helps make us sustainable and cost-effective but our primary focus will be HE)

will you still work with the wider public sector and other areas of education?

yes (because that work helps make us sustainable and cost-effective but our primary focus will be HE)

will you still give research grants?

will you still give research grants?

yes… probably… but they’ll probably be a bit different

yes… probably… but they’ll probably be a bit different

“work with us to improve our services” rather than “here’s some money to do something interesting”

“work with us to improve our services”

rather than

“here’s some money to do something interesting”

the fundamental question is

the fundamental question is

can we (by which I really mean the wider education community) deliver these kinds of services sustainably…

can we (by which I really mean the wider education community) deliver these kinds of services sustainably…

… in a Web 2.0, SaaS, “cloud” world in which lots of very good looking stuff is made available for free or very cheaply? can we (by which I really mean the wider education community) deliver these kinds of services sustainably…

… in a Web 2.0, SaaS, “cloud” world in which lots of very good looking stuff is made available for free or very cheaply?

thank you

thank you