Forbes: Cloud Computing is Fueling the Next Startup Boom - role of funding councils and R&E networks

[Here is a great article from Forbes on how cloud computing is fueling the next startup boom.

A wider role for National Research and Education Networks?

[Here is a great blog on a topic dear to my heart that I have been blogging about for some time. National R&E networks I believe can play an important role through disruptive innovation in a number of ways:

SURFnet and KPN to collaborate on next generation mobile networks, Internet and IPv6

[Kudos to SURFnet on an exciting new initiative between SURFnet and KPN (Dutch incumbent telephone company).

The role and purpose of R&E networks

[Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, recently received the GEANT Expert group report with its views on the future of the pan-European research and education networking.

How university IT departments can make money selling spare compute cycles through SpotCloud

[A very innovative  Canadian startup called Enomaly is offering a service called SpotCloud that allows IT departments to sell spare compute cycles into the global cloud market.

Commercial cloud services for universities and HPC gain momentum - Internet 2 announcement

[Today’s Internet 2 announcement of brokering commercial cloud services from HP, Box and SHI is the start of a major trend that will transform computing at universities and eventually businesses.

IPv6 Transitional Uncertainties and the role of R&E networks and universities

[Here is an excellent article on the uncertainties of IPv6 transition. R&E networks and universities probably have the single largest number of unallocated IPv4 address space.

Very cool project between SURFnet and Ericsson for LTE on Dutch universities

[I am always astounded and amazed how a small R&E networking organization like SURFnet has become such a powerful engine of innovation, not only for Dutch universities, but the Dutch economy in general.

R&E networks once again revolutionizing Internet through content peering

[I recently attended the annual GLIF meeting (Global Lambda Integrated Facility) in Rio de Janeiro where there was a lot of buzz and excitement about recent developments in lambda networking and new transformative business models for R&E networks.

Apple May End Mobile Phone Contract Era - NREN opportunity

[More evidence that Apple is working on software configurable SIMs that will eventually will break the Homer/Bart Simpson stranglehold the carriers have over consumers.

Cool new app to protect on line privacy - Unhosted with Federated Identity

Whenever you post content to the web (images, text, video, music...), it is kept on the servers of that particular application. This means that your online data is stored in centralized servers belonging to various companies, meaning it's not really yours any more.

Open Flow in the real world: Carriers, clouds and follow the sun/wind networks

[It is exciting to see the concept of software controlled networks pioneered by CANARIE and CRC (UCLP) and other researchers such as Nick Mckeown at Stanford starting to gain momentum.

Apple's strategy to bypass carriers - opportunity for R&E networks to build their own national wireless broadband networks

[Telcos and cablecos are probably the most conservative and least innovative companies in the world.

The future of university CIOs and IT departments

[In this age of financial crises and shrinking budgets, universities and research institutes are going to be under increasing pressure to reduce costs.

So long computer overlords - how clouds can liberate research and transform discovery

[Here is an excellent presentation by Ian Foster on how clouds and grids can liberate researchers from traditional IT research tasks.