Internet2 Kicks Off 2025 with a Major Cloud Scorecard Update
At my own institution, the Cloud Scorecard is an integral part of our workflow when looking for new solutions. It's one of the first resources we turn to, putting us not only on a good track to find solutions more quickly but also to discover solutions we might not otherwise have considered.
Grush: How is this new version of the Cloud Scorecard service different from the original that we've had since the 2021 pilot?
O'Brien: Originally we just wanted a place for people
to be able to find vendors' completed questionnaires. So we launched what was essentially a Wiki site — all plain text. There was nothing very dynamic about it. But there were a couple good reasons for the simplicity of the original version. First, it was all about getting something out there. Second, before investing community resources into building something more, we wanted to make sure the higher education R&E community is actually interested in it — to ensure that it will provide value, and to be confident that vendors will participate and fill out the questionnaires.
In the time since the 2021 pilot, we've reached a new level of confidence and proof-of-concept. We've reached consensus that that yes, the higher education R&E community is interested; yes, cloud vendors will fill out the questionnaire; and yes, cloud decision makers will use it. That's what led us to launching the new Cloud Scorecard Finder site you can see today.
We've reached a new level of confidence and proof-of-concept. That's what led us to launching the new Cloud Scorecard Finder site you can see today.
There was a significant selection process related to its development criteria, but ultimately what we wanted the Cloud Scorecard Finder site to do was basically three things: One, to improve the overall user experience — to have a friendlier, more intuitive, more modern user experience. Two, to increase the ability for higher education institutions to find or discover a cloud service that meets their needs. And three, perhaps the biggest advantage or change, to power the Finder site with the ability to sort based on compliance requirements, on integration, and on type of services. So now, we have dynamic filtering and sorting in place on the new Finder site that will help institutions identify which services meet the specific needs that they have. There's a stark difference between what we have now and the modest Wiki site we had originally. Now we have a full feature set that we know delivers value to the higher education R&E community.
Now we have a full feature set that we know delivers value to the higher education R&E community.
Grush: It sounds like the new Cloud Scorecard Finder is miles ahead of the original version, especially with the dynamic sorting capabilities.
O'Brien: Yes, I think the biggest step forward to date is the ability to do the dynamic sorting and filtering that I've mentioned.
A CIO has the ability to come to the site with a cloud services challenge or an opportunity that they're trying to address, and after some input criteria for factors like security or accessibility, they'll see a dynamic list of vendors who self-attest to meeting their requirements.
The Cloud Scorecard Finder is not merely a listing where people can find names of products they already know about or might be hearing about, but a pathway to discovering solutions that meet their needs — solutions that an organization may not even know about yet.
Grush: It sounds like with the dynamic sorting function of the Cloud Scorecard Finder, you have a strong education or informational element that comes along with that.