Beginning Decade #2…

1. Beginning Decade #2… StateNets 2004 Doug Heacock, Executive Director Kansas Research and Education Network

2. Overview • The first decade • The KanREN backbone network • The KanREN consortium, governance • Fiscal growth and funding model • The next decade: collaboration & Kan-ed

3. The first decade • Beginnings in NSF Connections program, 1993 • Small staff—2 to 3 FTE until 1999 • Relatively simple institutional needs to meet • Internet access (4.5 – 21 Mbps) • Low-bandwidth connectivity between member institutions (56k-T1 backbone) • Internet 2 via GPN

4. The first decade • Staff expansion in 2000-2003 • 4 to 7 FTE • Approaching “critical mass” • Institutional needs growing more complex • QoS, IP multicast, growing security issues • Outgrowing our “host family” • KanREN leaves the umbrella of KUCR, incorporates independently

5. The first decade • New opportunities and initiatives • Video initiative: tuning the network for video applications, putting up an MCU • EETT/TRC project: connecting 24 elementary schools across the state to provide videoconferencing services for collaboration • SEGP

6. The KanREN network

7. The KanREN Consortium • Membership consortium serving: • Higher education • K-12 • Libraries • Other non-profits • Incorporated as a not-for-profit in 2002 • Filed for 501(c)(3) status • Independent of the state

8. Governance • Board of Directors • Representation from each major constituency group (K12, community colleges, private colleges, regents universities, libraries, other organizations) • Each member institution has a vote on matters of consortium policy, budget, rates

9. Fiscal growth • 1993/94—NSF funding totals ~$790k • 1995-present—self-funded • Annual budget increases from ~$400k to ~$2M • Increases reflect growth of staff and increased bandwidth demands

10. Funding model • Self-funded since NSF grant days • Membership fees • Fees for service (connectivity, circuits, etc.) • No state funding • No grants or gifts

11. The next decade • Kan-ed • Concept born in 1998 (KSDE) • Kan-ed Act passed in 2001—to be administered by the Board of Regents • Funding bill passed in 2002 • A bumpy road at times • It took a long time for KanREN’s role to become clear • The politics were weird at times • But we were Kan-ed “evangelists” throughout the process

12. KanREN/Kan-ed • Kan-ed commissioned an Engineering Trade Study to sort things out • Network design • Collaborations with vendors, providers • Clear roles for KanREN have emerged • Assistance with network engineering • Operation of the Kan-ed NOC; network management

13. The Kan-ed network • A “network of networks” • NAPs (Network Access/Aggregation Points) located strategically across the state—up to 20 of them • NAPs bring connectivity to convenient/economical places for providers to connect • Providers/“peering partners” connect their Kan-ed member customers to the network

14. The Kan-ed network • Engineering trade study/RFP process • Juniper M7i/M10i selected for NAPs • OC-3 circuits from multiple telecoms interconnect NAPs • Very aggressive circuit pricing • Some redundancy • Some details to be worked out

15. N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N NAP distribution SBC NAP Indep. NAP COX NAP

16. KanREN/Kan-ed • Kan-ed has opened a funding stream from the state that simply didn’t exist before • Kan-ed has engineered a collaborative environment that is unprecedented in Kansas • Equipment vendors • Big telecoms, independents • A zillion “K-acronym” organizations

17. Thanks! • Doug Heacock, Executive Director, KanREN • heacock@kanren.net