Welcome
The NET+ AWS and NET+ GCP programs go far beyond simple contracting vehicles. They each have their own vibrant, engaging, ongoing conversations building communities of practice focused on informed, efficient, and effective use of the respective platforms. The NET+ Cloud Infrastructure Community Program was created to open these community conversations, trainings, and other benefits to any organization in the research and education community, regardless of how or if you contract with AWS and Google Cloud. For more details on the program and how to enroll visit the Cloud Infrastructure Community Program service page or email help@internet2.edu.
Your 'Cloudforce Multipler'
Most cloud teams are stretched pretty thin. You are serving multiple constituencies across multiple platforms. Often times there is far more in your portfolio than hyperscale technologies. Your plate is full, leaving little time to do the research and testing that new requests or challenges are due. Whether your cloud team is a team of one or ten, the knowledge and experience of the CICP peer community will multiply it manifold. The Cloud Infrastructure Community Program helps you build your knowledge network. It is your Cloudforce Multiplier.
CICP Benefits
A cornerstone benefit of the Cloud Infrastructure Community Program for subscribing institutions is participating in all the activities of the NET+ AWS and NET+ GCP* programs. Any member of a subscribing institution's community – staff, faculty, or student – is eligible to take part. Participants are added to an email discussion list where they are kept abreast of our regular and special events, projects, trainings, and more. These benefits include:
Community Conversations
- Regular Technology Share calls where campus cloud enablement professionals, cloud engineers, developers, and others meet to discuss their challenges, share lessons learned and collaborate to find the best answers for their institutions' AWS deployment. AWS solutions architects and DLT support engineers regularly attend and participate.
- Quarterly Town Halls welcome experts from AWS to present targeted topics to the community. Past Town Halls covered Ransomware, AWS Academy, Research Support Tools, Security Lake, Generative AI and more. We encourage subscribers to suggest topics we can work with AWS to bring to us.
- Quarterly Stratgey Calls are home to strategic and directional conversations. This is an opportunity to discuss the role of cloud in IT strategy with your peers. The intended audience is cloud and infrastructure leadership, but anyone working on your AWS team is welcome to attend. Once a year we invite AWS EDU leadership to join us and encourage campus infrastructure and IT leadership to come.
- Quarterly Tech Jams are technical deep dives on a specific issue facing one or more institutions. We put a couple of subscriber schools in the "hot seat" to lay out their challenge and ask technical experts from AWS to talk through the problem and its solutions. The rest of us watch and learn, tossing in our own questions as well. Example topics are building compliant environments, enforcing policies for FinOps best practices, bending Control Tower to your will, etc. The December Jam is devoted to a rapid-fire recap of the announcements coming out of the annual AWS re:Invent conference that are most relevant to the NET+ subscriber community. Always a highlight of the year.
Training – CLASS: Cloud Learning and Skills Sessions
- Annual vouchers to pay for CLASS sessions
- Priority registration for CLASS training
- Discounted registration to for-fee CLASS trainings
- CLASS program details
Data Benchmarking
Internet2 aggregates community usage data to provide subscribers with unique campus-internal insights and community-wide comparisons. The tools also help users identify community members with experience in specific technologies, creating opportunities to connect and learn from their peers. CICP subscribers who opt in to contributing their data to the project will become full participants in this valuable strategic program.
Cloud Consulting
CICP subscribing institutions looking for a technical soundboard for their cloud ideas, questions, or quandaries, have access to cloud professionals at Internet2. While they are not there to build out your cloud solutions, they can help you understand an existing on-prem workflow in cloud terms, discuss the pros and cons of cloud networking strategies, prepare for engagements with professional services provides, or even gather together topic-specific conversation with peers. They are there to help you get objective assistance with your cloud questions.
*NET+ GCP subscribers who have not signed the CICP or legacy IPS agreement are only eligible for NET+ GCP community activities.
Questions?
- Internet2 CICP Program Manager: Bob Flynn bflynn@internet2.edu
- Internet2 Service Management: help@internet2.edu
Community Resources
CICP CLASS Voucher Program
Simplify the CLASS registration process for your team by purchasing vouchers for the CLASS program. Is your institution already a CICP subscriber? If so, you may already have a voucher! Full details can be found on the CICP CLASS Voucher Program page.
CICP Activities
See the full list of quarterly CICP gatherings and access their recordings, slides at other assets on the CICP Calendar page.
Participate in the online Community:
In addition to discussion at our regular Tech Shares and Quarterly meetings, Internet2 encourages subscribers to join the open discussions on the #aws and #google channels on the Higher Education Cloud Community Slack workspace. If you are not already a member, join here.
Key Program Updates
Subscribers may also review our AWS and GCP List Archives to look back at program updates and communications.
CICP Blog
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
I got to dive right in with the AWS Tech Shares: the first of our two October meetings fell on my 3rd day at Internet2. Bob and I were on the call from the conference room of Internet2’s Ann Arbor office where we were doing a couple of days of on-site onboarding for the new guy.
Upcoming Events
It’s a busy season for the NET+ AWS community. In between the two tech shares, we had our Strategy call with an in-depth exploration of the AWS Innovation Sandbox.…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The AWS Innovation Sandbox https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/implementations/innovation-sandbox-on-aws/ has been discussed repeatedly in Tech Shares this year, generating the inspiration for this particular Strategy call: it was time to do a deep dive with the experts from AWS on this hot topic. In this call Todd Gruet, AWS Senior Solutions Architect and Cloud Foundations Specialist,…
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
A New Face at I2
This was the first GCP tech share since I joined Internet2 on October 6 to become the Program Manager for NET+ GCP and NET+ AWS, so Bob introduced me. I’ll be taking over the GCP program from Bob while he continues to shepherd CICP and CLASS.
A question about training gaps for R&E in the GCP space led to several discussions that were less about training gaps and more about knowledge gaps.…
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The one NET+ AWS Tech Share meeting I missed, and you all talked about the one topic I lead a community practice for: AWS Landing Zone Accelerator (LZA)… Talk about FOMO… Despite missing the September 10th meeting, thankfully, I was able to join the one on the 24th. I would say that the discussions about Innovation Sandbox and OpenTofu healed my FOMO. Some would say I'm coping, and you may be right, but it really was a cool conversation.…
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
What do Looker, Cloud Skills Boost, and Vertex AI have in common? Nothing much really. I just thought it would grab your attention. Though they are all GCP offerings that we discussed at our September NET+ GCP Tech Share. So I guess that wasn’t completely click bait after all...
Managing Looker Dashboard Ownership
Okay so I have been trying to work out this issue for a while so I was very eager to get on this Tech Share call.…
Tech Jams are an opportunity for schools facing a specific technical challenge to sit down with an expert from the cloud service provider and talk through their options. The rest of us watch, tossing in the occasional question. Everyone learns. This Tech Jam was a textbook example of how they should work.
When BigQuery Bills Get Scary
We've all been there.…
By Bob Flynn, Internet2 Senior Program Manager
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The NET+ AWS community got a recap of the latest announcements from AWS's New York AI Summit, courtesy of Abhilash Nagilla and Fernando Ibanez. If you missed the session (or got lost in the alphabet soup of service names), here's what you need to know about the developments that might actually matter for your institution.…
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The August NET+ AWS Tech Share sessions brought together cloud innovators tackling the most pressing challenges in higher education today. From post-Broadcom VMware migrations to classroom AI deployment, participants shared strategies that could transform your institution's approach to cloud services.
The Great VMware Migration
As Broadcom's acquisition reshapes the VMware landscape, institutions shared surprisingly diverse migration strategies.…
A few months back, I found myself doing what I do best – bombarding Christian Michael from Google with questions. This time, it wasn't about hyperscale mysteries or cloud architecture philosophies, but about something far more practical: what exactly do you do with Google's Cloud Skills Boost https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/no_cost_gcsbo_pub_sec_v2.pdf for Organizations licenses once you have them?
If you're like me,…
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The July NET+ AWS Tech Share sessions brought together the community to tackle pressing challenges around AWS's new free tier model, root account management, and the ever-present VMware migration deadlines. If you missed these discussions, you missed practical solutions that could save your institution time and money.…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes. Estimate for the homework: your mileage may vary
What do you do with a bunch of bright students, hungry for real-world experience and a bunch of real-world clients, eager for low-cost, high-tech solutions? AWS decided to find out when it started its Cloud Innovation Center https://aws.amazon.com/government-education/cloud-innovation-centers/ (CIC) program at institutions like Arizona State University https://smartchallenges.asu.…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The July NET+ GCP Town Hall was on Google AgentSpace, and I thought I'd share what we learned from Chris Daugherty and Peter Fisher's presentation. If you've been wondering what all this "agentic AI" talk means for higher education, here's the practical rundown.
What AgentSpace Actually Is
First, let's clear up some terminology confusion. Chris offered a helpful analogy: if generative AI is like looking up how to fix your leaky faucet on YouTube,…
Cost Overruns and Support Struggles: The Growing Pains of Google Cloud Adoption
Our latest NET+ GCP community call revealed a troubling pattern: multiple institutions are getting blindsided by unexpected costs from BigQuery and Vertex AI services. It's becoming clear that while these powerful tools can deliver tremendous value, the default configurations and documentation gaps are creating painful surprises for higher education budgets.…
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
If you weren't part of our June NET+ AWS Tech Share sessions, you missed critical conversations that could save your institution thousands in unexpected AWS charges. The community tackled one of higher education's most pressing cloud challenges: preventing budget-breaking mistakes while maintaining innovation freedom.…
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The past four months of NET+ AWS Tech Share sessions revealed a persistent challenge threading through every discussion: how do institutions enable new tools and features while maintaining oversight and/or budget predictability? I watched this dance play out differently across institutions, creating rich conversations and brainstorming sessions.…
Ever notice how the most interesting conversations happen when you get cloud crowd in a room talking about the latest shiny object? That's exactly what went down during our recent NET+ GCP Tech Share, where we dove headfirst into Google's Agentspace platform and came up for air with some fascinating insights.
The New Kid on the Block
Google is positioning itself as the AI agent platform for higher education, and they're not just slapping an .edu label on existing tech and calling it a day.…
Remember the old-fashioned barn raisings where neighbors would gather to help build something useful for the community? Well, we just had our first NET+ GCP "Barn Raising," and let me tell you, it was every bit as collaborative – just with more debugging and fewer calluses.
The Blueprint
Google's Rapid Innovation Team, together with the cloud team at Washington University in St. Louis, developed a slick campus engagement app that lets students discover events, set up profiles,…
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
If you missed our second NET+ AWS barn raising event this May, you missed something special. I watched as participants from multiple institutions rolled up their sleeves and deployed Indiana University's Automated Transcription Service (ATS) in real-time, troubleshooting challenges together and celebrating successes. Let’s look closer at what went down.
The Challenge: Secure Research Transcription
Before we get into the barn raising event itself,…
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The past six months of AWS Landing Zone Accelerator Community of Practice meetings have shown me something documentation can't provide: real stories from institutions dealing with the same LZA challenges, and at times, each solving them differently. The most valuable parts weren't the success stories, but the honest discussions about what actually works during implementation.…
You know that feeling when you get excited about a shiny new tool, only to discover it's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole? That's exactly what came up during our latest NET+ GCP community call when we dove into the realities of Google Cloud’s GPU clusters in higher education.
The Promise vs. The Practice
Google's GPU and TPU adoption program sounds great on paper – who doesn't want powerful computing resources for their researchers?…
While our recent NET+ GCP community call had the usual updates about upcoming events (mark your calendars for the May 13 Barn-raising and the final 4 seats at Cloud Forum), the real meat of the discussion centered on a question that vexes many of us: how do you actually manage networking across multiple cloud environments?
The Washington University Approach
John Bailey from WashU shared their impressive – and slightly intimidating – approach to multi-cloud networking.…
Ever been to one of those conferences where you're simultaneously overwhelmed by the possibilities and skeptical about what actually applies to your day-to-day work? That's exactly how I felt watching our recent NET+ GCP community call, where Chris Daugherty walked us through his Google Next 25 experience.
The AI Everything Show
Let's be honest – Google Next was the "AI, AI, AI" show, but what tech conference of the past two and a half years hasn’t been?…
Ever set up what you thought was a bulletproof Google Cloud Organization, only to discover mysterious projects appearing like uninvited guests at a dinner party? You're not alone. Our recent NET+ GCP strategy call with Google's Jeff Nessen dove into the messy reality of how Google's various services can wreak havoc on your carefully managed cloud organization.…
You know what I love about our NET+ GCP community calls? We dive straight into the weeds. This week's conversation was a perfect example – equal parts practical problem-solving and "wait, how does that actually work?"
The Skills Boost Reality Check
Google's Cloud Skills Boost program came up again, and it's clear some organizations are getting real value from it. Charles from NYGC shared how they're using it seamlessly through their reseller,…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
If you missed our March NET+ AWS Tech Jam, you missed a thought-provoking conversation about how leading institutions are completely rethinking their approach to cloud provisioning. Penn State University's journey from manual processes to cloud automation sparked insights that could reshape how your institution empowers researchers and students while maintaining financial control.…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
If you missed our February NET+ AWS Tech Share, you missed a fascinating look at how institutions are reimagining their cloud strategies in response to shifting research demands and budget realities. From Penn State's innovative platform approach to UMBC's compliance-focused landing zone implementation, the discussion revealed practical solutions that could transform how your institution delivers cloud services.…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
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If you missed our February NET+ AWS Strategic Call, you missed a lively discussion on one of the most pressing challenges facing research institutions today: how to design networking infrastructure that can handle massive data transfers without breaking the bank. AWS Solutions Architects Kevin Murakoshi and Nick Kniveton shared strategies that could save institutions thousands in unnecessary costs.…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The January AWS NET+ Tech Share meetings brought together members from across the research and education community to discuss cloud migration strategies, training initiatives, and innovative approaches to managing AWS resources. Here's what you need to know from our first meetings of 2025.…
Sometimes our best community calls happen when we skip the formal presentations and dive straight into the real challenges everyone's facing. Since that’ how pretty much all Tech Shares work, this week's NET+ GCP Tech Share was no surprise – a practitioner-to-practitioner session that covered everything from unused project cleanup to the eternal debate over chargebacks versus showbacks.
The Great Project Cleanup Saga
The conversation kicked off with updates on tools for finding unused projects.…
Ever wonder what happens when the stars align between a higher education need, vendor resources, and community collaboration? Our recent NET+ GCP Town Hall showcased exactly that with Washington University's Campus Engagement Coach project – a perfect example of what Bob calls "all the cylinders firing."
The Problem That Started It All
John Bailey from WashU framed the challenge beautifully: despite having a fantastic marketing communications team and multiple event calendars across campus,…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The clock is ticking. With the NIH's updated genomic data sharing policy taking effect on January 25th, our latest NET+ AWS Town Hall brought together a community of researchers and IT professionals seeking clarity on these critical requirements. The energy in the virtual room was palpable – institutions across the research community are navigating complex security measures while trying to ensure their vital genomic research won't face interruption.…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
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If you weren't at the December NET+ AWS Tech Jam, you missed the electric atmosphere as Kevin Murakoshi, fresh from his first-ever in-person re:Invent experience, delivered a no-breathtaking tour through AWS's latest innovations. No slide deck can capture the enthusiasm that filled the virtual room as Kevin, working "literally until 9 o'clock this morning" to finalize his presentation,…
Sometimes the most compelling tech stories come from unexpected places. Our recent NET+ GCP Tech Jam featured Professor Lindsay Yotsukura from the University of Maryland tackling a fascinating digital humanities challenge: using Google Cloud Platform to analyze thousands of historical documents from the Allied occupation of Japan (1945-1949).
The Historical Detective Story
Lindsay has been collecting memoranda and reports from Japanese automobile manufacturers, government ministries,…
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The December 4th AWS NET+ Tech Share brought together members from various institutions to discuss recent AWS re:Invent announcements, upcoming events, and shared challenges in managing AI resources in higher education. Here's what you need to know from our last meeting of 2024.…
November 13th AWS NET+ Tech Share Recap: Digital Preservation, AI Initiatives, and Community Updates
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The November AWS NET+ Tech Share brought together participants from various institutions for discussions ranging from digital preservation strategies to artificial intelligence collaboration initiatives. Here's a summary of the key discussions:
Community Updates and Upcoming Events
Several important deadlines and events are approaching for the research and education community:
The NERCOMP Annual Meeting https://nercomp.…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The November AWS Landing Zone Accelerator (LZA) Community of Practice meeting brought together institutions to discuss feature requests, recent updates, and share implementation experiences. Here's a summary of the key discussions:
Feature Request Process
The meeting kicked off with a discussion about streamlining features and documentation requests.…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The October AWS NET+ Tech Share covered infrastructure migration strategies, innovative AI implementations, and upcoming community events. Here's a summary of the key discussions:
Key Events
Webinar on NET+ AWS, NET+ GCP, NET+ Kion and CICP (slides https://drive.google.com/file/d/15mhVj3p0YJtlU4Co3GbBFYTcJU14viP_/view?usp=drive_link and recording https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lprtR-j9xrFFRMxNTwPGKuArjzIG2Oy_/view?…
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The September 19th GCP Tech Share explored the highs and lows of Google Cloud adoption in higher education, from billing headaches to cutting-edge AI projects. Here's what you need to know:
GCP Experience: The Good and the Bad
The session kicked off with a discussion led by a business student from Indiana University,…