Blue Jeans Network Gets Internet2 NET+ Certification
Blue Jeans Network's cloud-based video collaboration platform is now available through the Internet2 NET+ portfolio. The new partnership will enable students, faculty and researchers from nearly 250 universities to connect via video from any location and on any device, over the Internet2 high-speed backbone.
The company worked with several institutions, including the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, the University of Southern Florida and the University of Michigan, to complete the Internet2 NET+ service validation process, passing a series of tests and an in-depth review of security measures and controls.
Blue Jeans also worked to integrate its service with other Internet2 services, including a direct connection to the high-speed Internet2 Network and integration with Internet2's InCommon identity federation.
"In today's age of information sharing, the Internet2 community requires video collaboration platforms that are high-quality, affordable, easy-to-use and can be easily administered through our various universities. Blue Jeans passed the community-developed Internet2 NET+ certification program with flying colors," said Shelton Waggener, senior vice president for Internet2, in a press release.
Special pricing for the research and higher education community is available through the partnership: Universities have the option of paying a fixed, flat-rate price for up to three years, based on the number of faculty and staff, and get unlimited use of the Blue Jeans service (unlimited meetings, unlimited minutes, unlimited licenses, unlimited ports). In addition, students receive free access.
"Blue Jeans allows us to leverage the significant investment we've made in traditional video conferencing infrastructure to meet with people connecting from consumer devices. There is no pre-certification or testing required using Blue Jeans. Users simply click a link to join, and the meeting is off and running," commented Casey Emerson, director of education technology at the UNC-Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy, in a prepared statement. "We find new use cases for Blue Jeans daily; it's been used for everything from student debates, remote collaboration and presentations, to meetings with clinical faculty located in hospitals and pharmacies across the state. Blue Jeans and the Internet2 partnership reinforce our dedication to enabling effective collaboration for our students, faculty and staff."
For more information, go to the Blue Jeans site.
About the Author
Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].