SURFnet is the Dutch National Research and Education Network (NREN) that provides networking and collaboration services to higher education and research institutions in the Netherlands. It has 85 employees serving over 160 connected institutions and 1 million end-users. SURFnet's mission is to foster innovation through its network infrastructure and services like eduroam wireless access and identity federation. It works with other organizations in the SURF family and internationally to develop new technologies and shared services for research and education.

1. An introduction to SURFnet
Erwin Bleumink
Managing director

2. SURFnet: the Dutch NREN
• SURFnet is the Dutch National Research & Education
Network (NREN)
– Services, innovation, knowledge
– Not for profit
– Task organisation of Stichting SURF = ICT collaboration of higher
education & research
• A small operation serving a large community:
– 85 employees
– 160 connected institutions
– 1 million end-users
– Turnover 35 million Euro; 1/3 innovation subsidies
SURFnet - We make innovation work 1

3. SURFnet is part of the SURF Family
Stichting SURF
Institutions
SURFnet
SURFshare
SURFmarket
e
SURFnet - We make innovation work 2

4. Strategic plan
Themes
• Network infrastructure
• Security and privacy
• Sourcing and sustainable ICT
• Professional shared services
• Infrastructure for digital content
• E-Science, supercomputing and grid
• Technology Enhanced Education
www.surfmeerjarenplan.nl/pdf/SURF_MJP_ENG%20v5.pdf
SURFnet - We make innovation work 3

5. Reorganise to manage
research e-Infrastructure
• SURFmarket: commercial ICT products and services on highly
favourable conditions
• SURFshare: Shared Professional Services
• Netherlands E-Science Center (together with NWO, the Dutch NSF)
• SURFsara: Scientific computing & storage
SURFnet - We make innovation work 4

6. SURFnet: community and characteristics
• Our community
– Research universities
– Universities of Applied Sciences
– Academic & teaching hospitals
– Research institutes
– Research departments of companies
– Scientific libraries
– Secondary vocational education & training
• SURFnet characteristics:
– On the demand side of the market
– Global collaboration in innovation
– Unique relationship with both users and suppliers
– Bridge between R&D and market
SURFnet - We make innovation work 5

7. Financing
1 2
2
8
20
Instellingen GigaPort3
SURFworks EC/FP7
Zusterorganisa es & NCF
• Turnover 35 million Euro per year
• Innovation paid for by government and industry
• Operations cost distribution model for connected institutes
SURFnet. We make innovation work 6

8. Organisation principles
• Principles
– Foster tension between technology and user perspectives in
organisation
– Management of professionals
– Keep people working on innovation and operations close
together (SURFnet outsources all operational management of
services)
– Flat organisation
• Matrix organisation
– All people and operations in departments
– Innovation in multi-disciplinary teams
SURFnet - We make innovation work 7

9. Management structure as of July 1, 2012
Management
Erwin Bleumink
CEO
Erik Huizer Karen de Bruijn
CTO CFO
Dep Dep Dep Dep Dep Dep
Young Talent program
Finance, Information
and organisation
Innovation program
Innovation program
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10. Departments
SURFnet - We make innovation work 9

11. Would you recommend us?
NPS = % promoters -/- % detractors
34% = 36% -/- 2%
Source: SURFnet instellingenonderzoek 2011
SURFnet - We make innovation work 10

12. “Anyone following me on Twitter already knows what I did this past summer.”
Source: The New Yorker, 5 september 2011
SURFnet - We make innovation work 11

13. • Cloud cloud cloud — d at a exp losion
• Mob ile m ob ile m ob ile — d evice exp losion
• Go g o g o — st ud y + w ork + p lay +
“Runcollab orat eonorgmobile et cet era
your life + a anize + in the cloud”
Study Run you + Play a m ob ile”
• “ + Work life on + Collaborate + Organise
Source: A MD
A nyt im e, A nyplace, A nyw here - NORDUnet 20 1 - 7 June 20 1 - Reykjavik
1 1 4
SURFnet - We make innovation work 12

14. gizmido.com
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16. Source: www.lofar.org, copyright ASTRON

17. SURFnet - We make innovation work 16

18. Virtual organisation
Next generation sequencing
• Integrated e-infrastructure
– SURFnet Light paths to 10+ locations
– Own compute infrastructure (Life Science Grid Cluster)
– SARA storage
– Need for collaboration infrastructure
• Large virtual organisation
– Academic hospitals: LUMC, Erasmus
MC, AMC, MUMC, UMCN, VUMC
– Research universities: VU, WUR, TU Delft, RUG
– Research organisations: Hubrecht
– Commercial organisations: BGI (Hong Kong, Complete Genomics
(LA, USA), Philips, Pfizer
SURFnet - We make innovation work 17

19. Constituency
End-Users
Number of Users
Institutions
Researchers
Bandwidth Requirements
SURFnet - We make innovation work 18

20. Source: A future view on SURFnet, Roland Staring, master thesis TopTech 2011
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21. SURFnet - We make innovation work 20

22. Vision
Researchers, instructors, and students work together
simply and effectively with the aid of ICT
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23. Motor for innovation
• Business case = use all that is
available
• Needed: a trusted, connecting
ICT infrastructure
• How?
– Innovation leading to
services, standardisation, and
knowledge (dissemination)
– With national and international
partners
– Technical and business
innovation
SURFnet - We make innovation work 22

24. Two result areas
Network infrastructure
A hybrid fixed-wireless network as the basis for all
collaboration, providing efficient, unlimited data
transport
Core services: IP, bandwidth on demand, eduroam
Collaboration infrastructure
a pioneering collaboration environment that seamlessly
connects systems, services, tools, and people
Core services:
SURFconext, SURFfederatie, SURFteams, resource
broker
SURFnet. We make innovation work 23

25. “Services philosophy”
• Innovation focused on creating operational services
• KISS: generic needs
• If useful, internationally developed & globally connected
• Distinguish between basic services and temporary ICT
services and showcases
• Only provide services that the market does not deliver
• Active portfolio management
SURFnet - We make innovation work 24

26. Types of services
• Basic services (core package) provide the linking factor
between users and the services and tools offered by
suppliers and institutions
• Temporary ICT services and showcases show users
what is possible and thus provide an impetus for new
types of collaboration and the sharing of tools. If these
services are successful, the role of SURFnet as a
service provider for these temporary ICT services must
be taken over by the market
SURFnet - We make innovation work 25

27. Services portfolio 2012
Basic services Impulse services
SURFinternet SURFgroepen (Exit 2012)
SURFfederatie SURFmedia (Exit 2012)
eduroam SURFdashboard
SURFcert SURFopzichter
SURFlichtpaden SURFconext
Ontsluiting dislocatie via IP
SURFinternetpinnen (guar. 2013)
SURFcertificaten (guar. 2013)
SURFcontact (Exit 2012)
SURFmailfilter (guar. 2013)
Consultancy
SURFdomeinen
SURFnet - We make innovation work 26

28. erwin.bleumink[at]surfnet.nl
@erwinbleumink
erwin.bleumink
W www.surfnet.nl
+31 30 2 305 305
Creative Commons “Attribution” license:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/