Title: IndNet: towards a peer-to-peer community network that connects the information technology industry and academia in India

Authors: Ankur Gupta, Lalit K. Awasthi

Addresses: Model Institute of Engineering and Technology, Jammu, J&K, 180001, India. ' National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, HP, 177005, India

Abstract: The Indian Information Technology (IT) industry is on the verge of significant change. Its dominance is under threat from countries like China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Israel and the like, which can offer skilled IT workers at lower wages. Moreover, the academic institutions that are engaged in higher technical education have failed to provide quality manpower, which the IT industry needs to transition from the largely lower end of the technology spectrum in which it operates to a leader in the worldwide IT industry that creates new technologies, services and applications. Clearly, a lot needs to be done to improve the overall quality of education and research and promote collaboration between the academia and the industry. This research paper presents the design and specifications of |IndNet|, a pan-India collaborative Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network for the community of technology experts, industry practitioners, faculty members, researchers and students who belong to various universities and business organisations. IndNet shall enable the aggregation and exchange of computational resources, technology-related content and expert human knowledge, effectively bridging the gap between the industry and the teeming technical institutions in India.

Keywords: collaborative P2P frameworks; P2P networks; community networks; peer resource aggregation; resource sharing; information technology; India; peer-to-peer; communities of practice; academia; universities; higher education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNVO.2010.029871

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 2010 Vol.7 No.1, pp.63 - 79

Published online: 02 Dec 2009 *

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