Session Abstract

Researchers are searching for easily accessible online collaboration tools that best fit their research goals. Freemium cloud applications like Dropbox, Google drive and Yammer seem to be very attractive to fulfill these online collaboration needs probably because there is virtually no threshold to start using them.

We as NRENs advocate the use of cloud applications for online collaboration but at the same time we encourage a critical attitude when it concerns topics like privacy, confidentiality, ownership, and interoperability. When using freemium offerings the importance of these topics may easily be overlooked.

We should aim for the best of both worlds: offer our users easy access to best of breed solutions but with a sufficient level of protection, appropriate guarantees and interoperability. Bringing these assets together is a real challenge as the instant delivery of services, which is a key value of the cloud distribution model, erodes as soon as we add our additional requirements. With the addition of a one-stop NREN cloud broker shop, as an extension to identity federation frameworks, we will be better able to provide instant delivery of cloud applications but according to our own high standards.

In this presentation we share the vision of SURFnet on the role of NRENs in cloud brokerage and delivery. This includes a demo of the one stop shop currently being developed as a new component of SURFconext.