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Merit Network Blog What is Merit?     By Donald J. Welch - August 20, 2008 4:33 pm What is Merit? Merit is different from every other organization that I know of. Although most states have a research and education network, Merit is very different from the vast majority of them. Merit is not a Telco and Merit is not an ISP, although those are the handles most like to use to describe Merit. Merit is different from other institutions because of its unique mission, the foresight of Merit’s creators, and the enlightened oversight of its Board. How is Merit different? Merit is unlike ISPs and Telcos because of its mission and structure. Merit’s mission includes knowledge transfer and building community. ISPs and Telcos usually don’t combine networking and knowledge transfer as core competencies. Merit was created to figure out how to network and then to share that knowledge. That mission continues today. Private companies have to satisfy their owners as well as their customers and staff. As a not-for-profit owned by the Michigan’s public universities, Merit must meet the needs of its community, as well as its owners. Since the owners are members of the community and have a mission to support the education and economic development through out the state, Merit does not have to balance profit against long-term service to its members. Not-for-profits span a wide spectrum in the way they are organized. Some are funded by government or charitable donations on behalf of the people who receive those services. The American Red Cross comes to mind. At the other end of the spectrum are organizations that receive their funding from the people who benefit from the services, like Merit. Most state networks fall somewhere on this continuum. Many receive major funding from the state, which although attractive in the short term presents challenges in meeting meber needs. Why is this better for Michigan? Because Merit’s mission is focused on the research and education community (broadly defined to include libraries and healthcare) Merit offers network-based services that are focused on the community. Merit is offering a portfolio of services that are complementary and create a synergy that provides a strategic advantage. Also, because Merit is a Not-For-Profit with a community building mission, it can facilitate the creation of geographic cooperatives, communities of practice and other communities that benefit the members. Because Merit is independent it can react quickly to member needs and be proactive in helping its membership leverage technology. Merit does not have to build consensus on the details of a new service before offering it. For example, Merit identified a need for remote learning videoconference services in May. By deciding quickly that this was an area where Merit could help, recruiting a partner to help develop the service, funding some prudent investments of current resources, Merit offered a production service less than a year after members asked for it. Because Merit membership is voluntary, members can decide to get their services elsewhere fairly easily. In some states, the law requires that the community must use the state network. This competitive pressure insures that Merit offers the best value to its membership. There does not have to be any discussion of what exactly constitutes “best value” because each member decides that for itself. If a service has value members will opt for it, if not they won’t and it is very clear to us that something has to change. So Merit is not only the oldest state network, but it is still one of the leading state networks. Long term success like this does not happen by accident on in a vacuum. Over the years Merit has been fortunate to have a talented staff and members who have been dedicated to its mission. Don Post a Comment   Blog Archive   Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 11.16.09 By Gregory Monroe - November 16, 2009 9:50 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 11.12.09 By Gregory Monroe - November 12, 2009 12:35 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 11.3.09 By Gregory Monroe - November 03, 2009 12:21 pm Merit Network Blog Members in the News 10.30 By Brian Warkoczeski - October 29, 2009 4:28 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 10.26.09 By Gregory Monroe - October 26, 2009 10:42 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 10.19.09 By Gregory Monroe - October 19, 2009 10:58 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 10.08 By Brian Warkoczeski - October 08, 2009 1:03 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 10.6.09 By Gregory Monroe - October 06, 2009 1:19 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 9.29.09 By Gregory Monroe - September 29, 2009 12:33 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 9.21.09 By Gregory Monroe - September 21, 2009 12:35 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 9.16.09 By Gregory Monroe - September 16, 2009 12:41 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 9.8.09 By Gregory Monroe - September 08, 2009 11:25 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 8.24.09 By Gregory Monroe - August 24, 2009 10:36 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 8.17.09 By Gregory Monroe - August 17, 2009 12:09 pm Merit Network Blog Members in the News 8.14 By Brian Warkoczeski - August 14, 2009 9:14 am Professional Learning MJTS Call for Presentations By Brian Warkoczeski - August 06, 2009 12:53 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Members in the News 7.24 By Brian Warkoczeski - July 24, 2009 12:47 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 7.21.09 By Gregory Monroe - July 21, 2009 11:29 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 7.16 By Brian Warkoczeski - July 16, 2009 11:05 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 7.13.09 By Gregory Monroe - July 13, 2009 11:06 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 7.7.09 By Gregory Monroe - July 07, 2009 11:19 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 7.2.09 By Gregory Monroe - July 02, 2009 11:55 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 6.30 By Brian Warkoczeski - June 30, 2009 4:20 pm Merit Network Blog NANOG46 Videos Available By Brian Warkoczeski - June 25, 2009 9:31 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 6.23.09 By Gregory Monroe - June 23, 2009 11:54 am Professional Learning Archived Merit Member Conference videos now available By Brian Warkoczeski - June 17, 2009 9:43 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 6.15.09 By Gregory Monroe - June 15, 2009 11:41 am Professional Learning Merit Member Conference Concludes By Brian Warkoczeski - June 12, 2009 3:57 pm Professional Learning Day Two of Merit Member Conference Begins By Brian Warkoczeski - June 12, 2009 10:32 am Professional Learning Dale Dougherty Brings Ingenuity to Merit Member Conference By Brian Warkoczeski - June 11, 2009 2:47 pm Professional Learning Merit Member Conference Extra! CEO and President Don Welch Announces Landmark Agreement with Internet2 By Gregory Monroe - June 11, 2009 1:51 pm Professional Learning Richard Katz starts 2009 Merit Member Conference By Brian Warkoczeski - June 11, 2009 10:47 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 6.8.09 By Gregory Monroe - June 08, 2009 11:52 am Merit Network Blog New White Paper on Botnets Released By Brian Warkoczeski - June 03, 2009 4:40 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 6.1.09 By Gregory Monroe - June 01, 2009 12:56 pm Merit Network Blog Members in the News 5.29 By Brian Warkoczeski - May 29, 2009 11:42 am Merit Stimulus Blog Introducing Merit Stimulus Blog By Gregory Monroe - May 26, 2009 12:56 pm Merit Network Blog Members in the News 5.18 By Brian Warkoczeski - May 18, 2009 4:14 pm Merit Network Blog New RSS Feeds Available By Brian Warkoczeski - May 14, 2009 10:02 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 5.8 By Brian Warkoczeski - May 08, 2009 9:44 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 4.30 By Brian Warkoczeski - April 30, 2009 3:41 pm Merit Network Blog MJTS video archive now available By Brian Warkoczeski - April 23, 2009 2:02 pm Merit Network Blog Members in the News 4.17 By Brian Warkoczeski - April 17, 2009 11:33 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 4.9 By Brian Warkoczeski - April 09, 2009 3:33 pm Merit Network Blog Members in the News 4.2 By Brian Warkoczeski - April 02, 2009 10:08 am Merit Network Blog Informative Mailing Lists By Brian Warkoczeski - March 30, 2009 11:26 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 3.24 By Brian Warkoczeski - March 24, 2009 8:28 am Merit Network Blog Stimulus Legislation Information By Brian Warkoczeski - March 17, 2009 8:44 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 3.11 By Brian Warkoczeski - March 11, 2009 10:46 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 3.3 By Brian Warkoczeski - March 02, 2009 4:51 pm Merit Network Blog Members in the News 2.23 By Brian Warkoczeski - February 23, 2009 11:25 am Merit Network Blog NANOG45 Presentations Available Online By Brian Warkoczeski - February 16, 2009 1:47 pm Merit Network Blog Members in the News 2.12 By Brian Warkoczeski - February 12, 2009 10:44 am Merit Network Blog Featured Speakers for Merit Member Conference By Brian Warkoczeski - February 02, 2009 4:34 pm Merit Network Blog Merit Services Webinar By Brian Warkoczeski - January 29, 2009 4:16 pm Merit Network Blog Technology issues part of first week for new President By Brian Warkoczeski - January 23, 2009 12:28 pm Merit Network Blog Merit Services Seminar Videos By Brian Warkoczeski - January 05, 2009 9:56 am Merit Network Blog E-Rate Application Window By Brian Warkoczeski - December 02, 2008 8:19 am Merit Network Blog Tracking Flu Outbreaks Online By Brian Warkoczeski - November 13, 2008 10:10 am Merit Network Blog Is Web technology improving your brain? By Brian Warkoczeski - October 27, 2008 4:15 pm Merit Network Blog IP V6 By Donald J. Welch - October 17, 2008 12:53 pm Merit Network Blog PBS and YouTube Aim to Document Election Day By Brian Warkoczeski - October 16, 2008 10:01 am Merit Network Blog Justice Department Releases Cybercrime Survey Results By Brian Warkoczeski - September 23, 2008 4:54 pm Merit Network Blog Internet Traffic Growth Slowing World-Wide, But Utilization Up in U.S. By Donald J. Welch - September 08, 2008 9:50 am Merit Network Blog NANOG Launches New Web Site By Brian Warkoczeski - September 08, 2008 8:51 am Merit Network Blog Price War Erupts for High-Speed Internet Home Service By Donald J. Welch - September 02, 2008 10:58 am Merit Network Blog Manage It or Just Buy More By Donald J. Welch - August 28, 2008 8:49 am Merit Network Blog Net Neutrality vs. File Sharing on Campus By Donald J. Welch - August 25, 2008 10:13 am Merit Network Blog Thinking About Virtual Worlds By Donald J. Welch - August 25, 2008 9:40 am Merit Network Blog New Merit Network Blogs By Brian Warkoczeski - August 18, 2008 9:56 am

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