GÉANT User Survey

The GÉANT (GN1) project review performed for the European Commission in November 2001 suggested that a survey of GÉANT users be performed in order to gain a better understanding of network users and their requirements.

As a result, an invitation to tender was published and Prodata were selected to perform the User Survey.

A two-phase approach was adopted: Phase 1 involved a series of interviews with NRENs in the GÉANT consortium, while Phase 2 consisted of interviews with GÉANT "end users".

The main findings were as follows :

  1. Pan-european connectivity needs - are significant and growing. Taking all end-users across the European countries surveyed, who work mainly on a project basis as a base, as many as 60% of these project members work as part of a pan-european or international team. 90% of all respondents rate pan-european connectivity as either "very important" or "reasonably important".
  2. Home based communications facilities are extremely important to end users in Europe and are likely to grow in importance over time.
  3. Findings show that in many ways, GÉANT does not need to offer more, the issue is more to do with communicating what it already does offer. Whereas awareness of the brand name GÉANT was higher than that initially expected, levels of knowledge as to what the network offers to users in the public sector and the educational community, were low.
  4. Fifty-five per cent (55%) of network users do not know what applications GÉANT supports. This shows the importance of the need to raise awareness, on applications which GÉANT enables and supports. This was suggested by NRENs during Phase One of the survey, and was further confirmed by the interviews conducted with end users.
  5. The survey contains a good deal of information supporting what projects and requirements should be focused on in communications to help drive the usage of GÉANT. These include detailed comments made by end users and specialists.