Account Advising & Product
Management @SURFnet
27 September 2012
Walter van Dijk
This presentation
 …explains how SURFnet is organized: from a
customer perspective
as well as
 …how ‘productization’ is organized within
SURFnet
and concludes with
 …some examples of activities that we organize
in order to stimulate service-development &
service adoption
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:
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85 employees
160 connected institutions
1 million end-users
Turnover 35 million Euro; 1/3 innovation subsidies
SURFnet - We make innovation work
3
SURFnet: the Dutch NREN
• Our community
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Research universities
Universities of Applied Sciences
Academic & teaching hospitals
Research institutes
Research departments of companies
Scientific libraries
Secondary vocational education & training
• SURFnet characteristics:
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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
4
Service portfolio 2012
Network Infastructure
Collaboration Infrastructure
SURFinternet
SURFlightpaths
Connecting dislocation via IP
SURFdashboard
SURFopzichter
SURFinternetpinnen (guar.
2015)
eduroam
SURFcert
SURFmailfilter (guar. 2015)
SURFconsultancy
SURFdomainnames
SURFconext
SURFgroepen (EoL 2012)
SURFmedia (EoL 2012)
SURFcertificaten (guar. 2015)
SURFcontact (EoL 2012)
SURFnet - We make innovation work
5
Organization principles
• Principles
– Foster tension between technology and user perspectives
in organization
– Management of professionals
– Keep people working on innovation and operations close
together (SURFnet outsources all operational
management of services)
– Flat organization
• Matrix organization
– All people and operations in departments
– Innovation in multi-disciplinary teams
SURFnet - We make innovation work
6
Internal organization
SURFnet - We make innovation work
7
Three ‘customer facing’ departments
Account Advising (12)
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Account Advisers (5) + Support (1)
Product & Service Management Network Infrastructure (2)
Vendor Management Cloud services (2)
Project Managers (2)
Community Support (9)
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Community Managers Research (4)
Product & Service Management Collaboration Infrastructure (5)
Communication & Marketing (5)
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Corporate communications
Knowledge dissemination from innovation & projects
Marketing coordination
Lifecycle of services
 Product Management is in the lead at each of the phase transitions
 Marketing activities are focused on the phase transitions
Fostering service development
 Innovation meetings
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Marketplace for innovative concepts
Focused on SURFnet employees
Three meetings a year with competition (voting)
Winning concepts honored with 5-25K
 Innovation teams
 Six teams of 5-10 fte, focused on innovation:
Network Infra:
Collaboration Infra:
1. SURFnet7 Infra
2. Network Innovation (BoD)
3. Mobile/wireless
4. SURFconext Infra
5. CI Vendor Management
6. CI Adoption
Fostering service adoption
 Enlighten your Research
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Focus on the adoption of lightpaths & SURFconext
Focus on end-users
Close collaboration with ICT-departments
Winning concepts honored with lightpaths
 Campus Challenge
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Focus on development of campus infrastructure
Focus on ICT-management
Involvement of lead-users
Winning concept honored with co-financing
Walter.vanDijk@SURFnet.nl
@walingvandijk
walingvandijk
W
www.surfnet.nl
+31 30 2 305 305
Creative Commons “Attribution” license:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/