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9/4/2008
City University of New York (CUNY) is partnering up with Intel and Red Hat to launch a new software institute dedicated to open source software. The center, New York City Open Source Solutions Lab, based out of the CUNY Graduate Center, will serve as a test bed for government IT professionals in New York who are working with open source solutions.
"We are proud of CUNY's long history of engagement with New York's private industry and government," said Allan Dobrin, executive vice chancellor and COO of The City University of New York, in a statement released Wednesday. "Given the growth potential of the open source market, we anticipate that CUNY's Institute for Software Design and Development will offer significant assistance to government agencies in evaluating and testing new open source technology solutions that will enable them to better serve our City's residents."
For the partnership, Red Hat is donating its Enterprise Linux software, and Intel is providing the hardware on which software will be tested. Both are also providing support services for the operation, according to information released by Red Hat. The CUNY Institute for Software Design and Development is also providing services for the project.
According to Red Hat and CUNY, "The Open Source Solutions Lab is designed to help New York City area public sector government IT professionals consider more cost-effective and flexible technology options prior to deployment. The establishment of a stable and defined IT environment, combined with the availability of extensive support services, makes the OSSL an ideal place for examining and testing Open Source solutions."
CUNY serves some 461,000 students, including continuing education and professional education students, in 23 individual academic institutions, including 11 senior colleges and six community colleges. It also operates College Now, an academic enrichment program that serves some 32,500 high school students.
About the author: Dave Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's educational technology online publications and electronic newsletters. He can be reached at dnagel@1105media.com.
Have any additional questions? Want to share your story? Want to pass along a news tip? Contact Dave Nagel, executive editor, at dnagel@1105media.com.
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