An Introduction to the Technology Transfer Partners
We would like to extend an invitation to all staff working within academic institutions such as schools, colleges and universities around the world to join the well established Technology Transfer Partners (TTP) group. Membership in the group is totally free of charge. The group was established for academics but we are pleased to say that we can now accept members who work in central computing services of other organisations outside of academia.
Background
The TTP is an international group of individuals who use Novell, NetIQ, Attachmate, MicroFocus and OpenText technology in their IT implementations. The TTP was started in the mid-1980s with three universities whose goal was to share their networking experiences among themselves, and with the company, in order to leverage the knowledge of their diverse computing environments and give feedback to product teams. It has now grown to be a comprehensive group of thousands of experienced education customers who share information with each other, the software developers and groups within the company. TTP members have considerable input into the company software development processes.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to connect, form, and extend bonds between members of our global technology community to foster honest, informed conversations in order to promote high quality computing environments that advance the goals of their organisations.
The Primary Goals of the TTP are to
- Network among peers to foster mutually beneficial work relationships.
- Share successes and failures so others can learn from those experiences.
- Exchange technical information and best practices between members for mutual benefit.
- Mentor other members through the discussion lists, the TTP events, white papers, success stories, and articles for the TTP website.
- Provide honest feedback to software development teams on products and their futures.
- Help the TTP partners understand the academic community.
- Provide honest feedback to partner businesses to meet the requirements of academia in licensing programs, marketing, technical support, etc.
- Educate partner businesses on the requirements of academia in licensing programs, technical support, etc.
Membership and Confidentiality
TTP discussions are generally of either a highly technical or very strategic nature and membership would, therefore, be of particular interest to senior IT staff as well as very technical staff. Management staff (e.g. CIO level) who plan strategy can find the group useful to help determine the trends within similar organizations.
Discussions and questions on the TTP mailing list cover a wide range of topics of interest to the community. Members are urged to share information on the list, not just monitor messages. The group benefits from members who contribute and help others learn from that.
Joining the TTP requires the individual to agree to a level of confidentiality with relation to discussions within the group and to not use the group for promotional purposes. Once approved an applicant will be added to the group and be able to access the variety of resources and meetings of the TTP. Candidness and confidentiality are important so that all parties can discuss a variety of often sensitive issues without public exposure. The TTP requires such information and resources not be conveyed beyond the member’s own organisation except to other TTP members. Within the organisation TTP information and resources should be handled with due care and professional discretion so that the organisation as a whole may benefit. . This also means asking colleagues to adhere to these same rules of confidentiality. If a member exceeds these rules of good conduct then the individuals membership in the TTP may be terminated.
Events
Online and regional events are planned throughout the year. Members may attend any of the TTP meetings but are encouraged to support their regional event in order to be able to network with more of their colleagues and similarly structured organizations.
Other Benefits
The main benefit of belonging to the group is the membership of the community and the self-help resource that this can provide. As a member of the TTP you will have access to restricted areas of the TTP web pages intended solely for the partner community including product and learning collateral.
How do I join the TTP?
Click on the Join Us link and complete the form.
Once you have submitted the application form it will be forwarded for approval. Under normal circumstances, you will be added to the group within 48 hours and sent an appropriate welcome email.
Questions
People who join the TTP find it extremely useful and we hope you will take this opportunity to join up today. If you have any questions concerning the group or the processes involved please e-mail us at patkins@thettp.org