Information Storage Industry Center Gets Sloan Grant to Support StorageNetworking.org

4.28.04 -- The Information Storage Industry Center (ISIC) at UCSD has received a $80,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support its StorageNetworking.org Initiative. This initiative is affiliated with Calit² and sponsored by the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA).

StorageNetworking.org is a non-profit initiative whose mission is to address the educational needs of data storage users. The initiative is stimulating the creation of local and regional storage networking user groups (SNUGs) to enable data management professionals to exchange information with their peers and other knowledge experts. It is also developing an online resource portal to provide access to user group resources and industry-specific educational opportunities.

"Data storage can be confusing, complex, and difficult to implement," says ISIC Director Roger Bohn. "Our goal with this initiative is to create an independent forum focused on addressing the educational needs of data storage users. Through this initiative, we can address the challenges of education and knowledge sharing in ways that benefit the community of storage professionals. We also look forward to working with the growing number of universities that see data storage curricula as an important part of their future."

The ISIC is one of 22 Sloan Foundation Industry Centers at 15 leading universities across the country. "In addition to creating a significant body of observational research about each industry segment, one of the Sloan Foundation's goals with its industry centers is the application of academic resources to identify and address industry challenges," says Sloan Program Director Dr. A. Frank Mayadas. "In rapidly evolving technology industries such as data storage, workforce preparation is an important challenge. The StorageNetworking.org Initiative seeks to address this challenge by creating a focal point for those within the academic, technology user, and technology developer communities who are interested in developing effective educational approaches. By investing in this particular initiative, we hope to further this objective while at the same time learning lessons that can be relevant to all industry centers."

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic non-profit institution that was established in 1934 by Alfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr., then President and Chief Executive Officer of the General Motors Corporation. In addition to information storage, Sloan Industry Centers study such key industries as transportation, finance, textiles, and semiconductors. Each Sloan Industry Center consists of a multidisciplinary group of faculty and students who study many aspects of a single industry, making the center at UCSD a perfect partner for Calit².

"The Sloan Foundation's interest in the StorageNetworking.org Initiative is extremely positive," says ISIC Industry Relations Director Ron Durbin. "This grant will enable us to further support the technology users that are the backbone of our SNUGs, complete the development of the StorageNetworking.org portal, and involve even more universities and affiliate organizations. We are grateful to the Sloan Foundation for recognizing the initiative's potential, and we look forward to sharing the knowledge gained from this effort with our fellow industry centers." For more information on the StorageNetworking.org Initiative, see www.StorageNetworking.org.

For more information on the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Industry Centers program and all other Sloan Foundation activities, see www.Sloan.org.

About the StorageNetworking.org Initiative
StorageNetworking.org is a university-based non-profit initiative created and managed by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Information Storage Industry Center (ISIC) at UCSD. Its mission is to address the educational needs of data storage technology users. The initiative, which is sponsored by the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), is stimulating the creation of local and regional storage networking user groups (SNUGs), so that data management professionals can exchange information with their peers and other knowledge experts. It is also developing an online resource portal to provide access to user group resources and industry-specific educational opportunities. For more information, including listings of StorageNetworking.org Affiliates and Advisors, see http://www.StorageNetworking.org.

About the ISIC
The Information Storage Industry Center (ISIC) at UCSD is a social science research program studying the business and economic aspects of the data storage industry. Established in 1998 as an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Industry Center, ISIC conducts research on all segments of this rapidly evolving and highly competitive global industry. ISIC is affiliated with UCSD's Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, one of the world's top international graduate programs specializing in the Pacific Rim. For more information on the ISIC, see http://isic.ucsd.edu.

About the IR/PS
Established in 1986, UCSD's Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) is the University of California's only professional school of international affairs and the only graduate school in the United States to focus exclusively on the Pacific Rim. More information on the graduate school and its faculty can be found at http://www-irps.ucsd.edu.