NaviSite , an Andover, Mass., Web hosting company, is turning to college IT managers to
learn how to improve its service for the higher education market.
The company has formed a council of advisors from several New England colleges and universities including: MIT Sloan School, College of the Holy Cross,
University of Massachusetts, University of New Hampshire and Community College of Rhode Island.
“The feedback . . . will be crucial for developing managed hosting services tailored to the industry,” said Steve Kirchoff, NaviSite’s executive vice president of sales
and marketing.
For council members, the goal is to lower IT costs while improving service for administrators, professors and students.
Specifically, NaviSite will look at outsourcing of library management systems, e-mail, portals, and enterprise resource planning. NaviSite already has customers in the
field. It recently helped the Academy of Art College launch its first online course.
The committee will have its second meeting at the Educause 2002 conference in Atlanta this fall. NaviSite is still looking for additional council members.
NaviSite is a subsidiary of Andover, Mass., Internet investor CMGI .
