Task Forces
TERENA Task Forces are made up of groups of experts who undertake joint work in their common areas of interest. Each task force has agreed terms of reference that are approved by either the TERENA Technical Committee or TERENA Executive Committee. In principle, participation in task forces is open to any individual who can offer appropriate expertise, manpower, equipment or services.
TF-CPR: Task Force on Communications and Public Relations
The task force on Communications and Public Relations, TF-CPR, promotes collaboration between research and education networking organisations in Europe in the areas of communications, marketing and public relations, through activities at the level of Communications / PR Officers / Marketing Managers.
TF-CPR is the name of a task force previously known as the Task Force on Public Relations and Information Dissemination, TF-PR, which was first established under the auspices of TERENA on 1 October 2003. In September 2009, the name changed to TF-CPR, the Task Force on Communications and Public Relations, which participants agreed better reflects the broader nature of their activities. TF-CPR is operating with a renewed 2-year mandate, which started on 1 October 2011.
TF-CSIRT
Computer security incidents require fast and effective responses from the organisations concerned. Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), either internal or outsourced, are service providers responsible for receiving, reviewing and responding to computer security incident reports and activity. TF-CSIRT is a task force that promotes collaboration between CSIRTs at the European level, and liaises with similar groups in other regions.
TF-EMC2
TF-EMC2, the TERENA Task Force on European Middleware Coordination and Collaboration, started its mandate in September 2004. Over the years TF-EMC2 has given birth to several activities, such as SCHAC, REFEDs, TACAR and so on. All these activities are still coordinated within the task force, although they have an autonomous life.
Secretarial support for this task force is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.
TF-Media: Task Force on Applied Media in Teaching and Learning
Today, all public and private institutions are faced with the expectations of non technical users which have been created by the World Wide Web - the largest media network known to man. Internet services, roaming solutions, and the plethora of multi-media systems, tools, and applications are now openly, and often freely, available to all. Trying to come to terms with this rapidly developing paradigm is proving a challenge in a globalized world of National interests. These efforts, particularly in teaching and learning, will never converge, to offer users in public institutions the common collaboration platforms they demand, without unbiased guidance and open coordination.
National Research and Education Networks (NREN) members are in a good position to survey and analyse - in some cases develop, enhance and maintain – the special requirements of academic and research communities' changing multimedia needs. These needs are reconfiguring around the concept of co-production as opposed to the old broadcast (produce and deliver) model. For the worlds of education and research, which are always global, the way in which media is aggregated and disseminated between inter-institutional (disciplinary-centric) groups is proving particularly challenging.
The Task Force on Applied Media in Teaching and Learning builds on the mature relationship between NRENs and HEIs in Europe. It is established under the auspices of the TERENA Technical Programme to collect and share ideas, knowledge and experiences on how to support media applied to pedagogical (e-learning) as well as to research/scientific purposes.
Secretarial support for this task force is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.
TF-Mobility and Network Middleware
The development and deployment of mobile technologies and the usage of network middleware to support interoperable roaming services, are becoming key activities among NRENs and academic research institutions.
The TERENA task force on Mobility, which started in 2002, promotes the adoption of such technologies. In September 2008, a change in focus resulted in the renaming of the task force to TF-Mobility and Network Middleware (TF-MNM).
In September 2010, a new terms of reference were approved which strengthened the mobility areas of the task force, investigating ubiquitous mobility through 3G/LTE/4G services in addition to WiFi and the impact of Location Aware Services. The integration of network middleware to support identity federations and 2-factor authentication were also additions to the focus of the task force.
Secretarial support for this task force is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.
TF-MSP Management of Service Portfolios
The purpose of the task force TF-MSP is to promote collaboration between research and education networking organisations in Europe in the area of management of service portfolios.
TF-NOC
Today's NOC (Network Operation Centre) functions are essential, costly, and critical in respect of NRENs' main business, as well as of regional, metropolitan and campus network providers and infrastructure development projects. However, there is extreme diversity in terms of NOC organisation, structure, and roles across various domains. It is also hard to find information about common practices related to day-to-day NOC operations. This has created a situation where NOCs usually cope with similar issues, but in very different ways (i.e., various tools, procedures, workflows, etc.).
The Task Force on Network Operation Centres (TF-NOC) brings together NOC managers, engineers, developers, operators, controllers and project managers interested in NOC functions in order to share experiences and knowledge as well as to investigate the possibility of creating best common practices.
Secretarial support for this task force is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.
TF-Storage
The storage task force (TF-Storage) is to provide a forum for exchanging and promoting ideas, experience and knowledge and fostering collaborations among National Research and Education Networks and academic and research institutions on the topic of data storage, data management, and cloud storage.
TF-Storage continues the discussion on opportunities and areas for collaboration on data storage services which began with two meetings in 2007 and with the first two-year mandate between 2008-2010.
Secretarial support for this task force is provided by TERENA with funding from the GN3 project.