$1 Million Collaboration between IBM and UNL

John Scott, Resolution Manager and a 2000 graduate of the College of Business Administration, made a proposal to Management Information Systems Professor, Keng Siau, to establish an iSeries lab at the College of Business Administration. Initially the lab would house an iSeries server and the Management Department MIS program would develop curricula to train students in on-demand computing concepts. Subsequently, Professor Sang Lee, University Eminent Scholar and Chair of the Management Department, and MIS faculty attended hands-on training sessions in on-demand computing at the IBM's Rochester, Minnesota faculty in Spring 2006. IBM selected the MIS program at UNL to host and manage the hub to serve as the global academic center for IBM iSeries computing. Learning institutions from across the globe will have access to the UNL server and the MIS curriculum. UNL students and faculty will be leading the research in the field and students will have internships and employment opportunities with IBM and their clients.

The IBM eServer iSeries system is an integrated business system designed to run the world's most popular business applications. The on-demand computing capability significantly reduces the costs of business computing. Ninety-eight of the 2004 Fortune 100 companies have purchased an iSeries system, including some of Nebraska's largest companies such as, Cabela's, ITI, Werner Enterprises, Omaha Steaks, and Oriental Trading.

As a result of the newly established collaboration between IBM and UNL's College of Business Administration, the Management Department MIS faculty decided to develop The Global Hub for On-Demand Strategic Innovation (ODSIP). "We began offering modules on iSeries and on-demand computing in our MIS courses beginning fall, 2006," said Professor Lee, Chair of the Management Department and Executive Director of the hub. IBM announced the establishment of the UNL's ODSIP Hub during its Fall 2006 Commons Conference in Minneapolis. The ODSIP Hub aims to be a world class program through educating the information technology leaders of the future with innovative curricula, cutting edge research and developing partnerships with the users of iSeries for on-demand innovation.

IBM has committed over $1 million in hardware, software, internship, and faculty scholarship support towards the project, while the College provides space and staffing support to operate the computer systems. The culmination of that collaboration led to the development of The UNL-IBM Global Innovation Hub, which officially opened in the spring of 2007. The hub is a specially-designed, state-of-the-art room that will enhance classroom instruction and support faculty and student research. The hub houses the IBM System i5 computing platform, giving students access to cutting-edge technology and operating knowledge.

The use of on-demand computing is growing exponentially, and IBM envisions the new hub to be the global research and training center for universities across the globe. IBM is actively searching for software partners to enhance the platform capabilities of i5. These partners will collaborate with IBM and UNL in program and training development. Already, one company (Magic Software Enterprises) announced its intent to partner with this new program. Speaking about that announcement, Keng Siau, E. J. Faulkner Professor of Management Information Systems and Director of Academic Programs of the ODSIP Hub, responded by saying, "We are pleased to see our collaboration with IBM result in the formation of new relationships with Magic Software," said. "We are eager to implement innovative information technology solutions in our academic programs with our business partners."

The UNL-IBM Global Innovation Hub was recently identified by the university as one of its top 100 programs, and currently is the only center of its kind. "Our company and our clients have a growing need for people with System i skills and experience," said ITI president and CEO, Tom Cypher. "We look forward to working with IBM and UNL to train the next generation of IBM System i talent through our involvement with students in various educational settings."

Comments to:
Marilyn Hoskins