accelerates Albertans’ competitive advantage in research and product development. This provides the invisible, yet essential, foundation of a thriving province and improved quality of life.
3 Message from the President 5 Message from the Chair 6 Company Overview 8 2009–2010 Highlights 10 Projects 17 International Strategic Committee 20 External Review Committee 21 Board of Directors 23 Members 25 Partners 26 Staff 28 Financials 2
MES SAG E FR O M T H E P R E S I D E N T
EXPANDING OUR FOCUS For Cybera, 2010 was a transitional year - another significant stride in our evolution toward technological excellence… and expanded relevance. Our fundamental focus has not changed, but we have dramatically expanded the scope of our vision. Cybera was born from the recognition that network connections alone are not enough to nurture meaningful technological innovations. In 2007 the company broadened its focus into high-performance computing (HPC) and Web 2.0, yet it rarely ventured far from the realm of academic research.
Innovation can happen anywhere. Cybera intends to be accessible to all Alberta innovators, wherever they may be. What we are doing now is as much about economics as it is about technology. We want to use technology to make Alberta a destination of choice for the businesses of tomorrow.
Robin Winsor PRESIDENT and CEO BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
Technological pilot projects are important. From innovations in the laboratory, all sorts of practical, affordable spinoff technologies emerge over time. But here is the rub: developing groundbreaking technologies and making them accessible to a select few researchers carries an astronomical cost per user, and it is wholly unsustainable by any definition of good business.
EXPANDING OUR RELEVANCE In step with the Alberta government’s push for greater innovation and commercialization in the technological arena, Cybera’s Board of Directors hired me to fulfil a clear mandate: while preserving Cybera’s commitment to research and development, engage and become more relevant to commercial enterprises in Alberta. I thought, “Why stop there? Alberta is home to nearly four million people. Why wouldn’t we endeavour to engage and become relevant to everybody? By moving innovations out of the laboratory and fully integrating them into the province’s infrastructure, technologies (and the people who use them) will be far more likely to achieve their full potential.” I have an entrepreneurial background. I have faced the challenges of taking a technological innovation from lab to market. I understand what it takes to ‘bridge the chasm’ and integrate a technology into the infrastructure of people’s daily lives. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
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MES SAG E FR O M T H E P R E S I D E N T
To succeed, we need to be nimble and focused. We need to be bold and creative. And we need to stay focused on the big picture.
of computing to make Alberta an incredibly attractive place to work and to make Alberta companies far more competitive in the global marketplace.
OBJECTIVES INTO ACTIONS Our aims are ambitions. So what have we actually been doing to expand Cybera’s relevance and impact in Alberta?
THE BIG PICTURE
Imagine: if you could virtualize a high-performance computer and tap into a cloud computing network simply because you live in Alberta — and if you could do it as easily as turning on your kitchen tap or your living room lights — wouldn’t you?
With respect to networking, Cybera has established a transit exchange (TX) and peering arrangements that allows members to bypass commercial Internet traffic en route to the mostoften visited web destinations. Leveraging the economics of a ‘buying club’, the TX enables Alberta’s major universities as well as other educational, municipal and government interests to get the most cost effective access to the Internet. Notably, the Cybera TX was up and running just a few months after we decided to do it. (As I said earlier, ‘nimble and focused’.)
In the past, Cybera would focus on specific projects — the Water and Environmental Hub and the Cloud-Enabled Space Weather Platform, for example. The outcomes are valuable, but the approach, in my view, has been piecemeal. As we expand our services to a larger user group, we need to understand how we fit into the bigger picture of innovation support in the province (and indeed throughout Canada). I have been meeting with many people who share my passionate belief that Alberta can become the economic and technology powerhouse of Canada, and this objective now resides front and centre in Cybera’s positioning statement: “Cybera is a not-for-profit organization that works to spur and support innovation, for the economic benefit of Alberta, through the use of cyberinfrastructure.” This is an unequivocal expression of what we do…and why. Increasingly, Cybera is looking for ways to link what comes out of the lab to the broader community and, in the process, spur economic advantages through cyberinfrastructure (CI). THE ECONOMICS OF CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE To me, CI is more than just hardware. It is more than networks, more than supercomputers. These are components of CI, but CI is really about workflow and access. When access to a system of technology becomes ubiquitous and inconspicuous — when citizens who need a service can access it easily wherever they happen to be — that is infrastructure. I see a real opportunity for Cybera to expand and become an influencer and enabler for CI growth across the province. By establishing a level of cyberinfrastructure that simply does not exist anywhere else in the world, we can drive down the costs BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
To succeed, we need to be nimble and focused. We need to be bold and creative. And we need to stay focused on the big picture. If Cybera’s goal is to be pervasive and ubiquitous — and it is — we must develop partnerships with all types of organizations. If, for example, we limit our partnerships to the academic world, CI will be pervasive in that sphere but it will not reach industry or, for that matter, the general public. To achieve our aspirations, we must address all of our stakeholders. There are serious challenges, however. One of these is broadband connectivity. Twenty-five percent of Albertans live in small communities and face difficulties fully engaging the digital economy. If we are to be effective in expanding beyond the campus, we need to ensure that we can reach the widest possible user base. Issues like this are the types of issues Cybera is now tackling head-on.
On the HPC front, we have partnered with WestGrid to develop a microcluster installation that combines a production computing resource with an ‘on demand’ test-bed for experimentation and exploration in the name of technological innovation, advancement and commerce. To both deepen and broaden Cybera’s work on Web 2.0, our new Vice President, Technology — John Shillington — is diving deep into new technologies and then, more importantly, helping to connect people to them and move the technologies forward. Operating primarily in the phase between research and development and maturity, Cybera is attacking a suite of Very Big Data challenges across multiple disciplines — from metabolomics and genomics to major issues facing the oil and gas sector. As a company (and a society), we have reached the proverbial fork in the road — not where it branches out into several different directions, but where all the linear pathways of the technological past converge. Convergence and integration for the benefit of all Albertans — that is the pathway Cybera is now pursuing!
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Building Technological Bridges Our success has been based on facilitating partnerships. Cybera must build an in-house core of deep expertise in strategically chosen technologies to serve as the foundation of future success.
Seamus O’Shea CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
CYBERA’S ROLE in supporting research and innovation in Alberta’s public and private spheres continues to be both challenging and stimulating. During the past year, we found ways to add significant value to the areas that have been Cybera’s principal focus since the company was founded. However, the rapid growth in information intensity in innovation processes at every level, created in large part by the deployment of information technology for gathering data, is creating qualitative as well as quantitative challenges for those who plan and implement CI. Cybera is at the nexus of the ‘Big Data, intensive computing’ movement and ‘services in the cloud for many, many users’ initiatives. While much of our success has been based on facilitating partnerships, Cybera must build an in-house core of deep expertise in strategically chosen technologies to serve as the foundation of future success. With the help of the International Strategic Advisory Committee, Cybera’s Board of Directors and staff are engaged in a sustained effort to identify priority areas and to measure our strength in them. I would like to thank our stakeholders for their continued support and Cybera’s Board of Directors and staff for their efforts on behalf of Alberta’s innovators.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
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COMPANYOVERVIEW What Cybera brings to the table is a combination of project management experience and expertise in areas of cloud computing, data management, advanced networking, social networking platforms, and high performance computing.
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COM PAN Y OV E R V I E W
Cybera is a not-for-profit organization that works to spur and support innovation, for the economic benefit of Alberta, through the use of cyberinfrastructure.
Cybera collaborates with public and private sector partners to accelerate research and product development that meets the needs of today’s society. Ultimately, companies and researchers work with Cybera to solve problems. Those problems may range in scope, scale and sector, but they all have this underlying similarity – they revolve around people, data and technology. That trio – people, data and technology – is our business. We recognize that each is stronger for the other, and that the integration of all three is what solves problems and overcomes challenges. What Cybera brings to the table is a combination of project management experience and expertise in areas of cloud computing, data management, advanced networking, social networking platforms, and high performance computing. What our partners bring to the table is an opportunity for Cybera to demonstrate the benefits and advance the use of cyberinfrastructure to solve problems, for the benefit of all Albertans. COMPANY OVERVIEW
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360
200 9 -2 01 0 H I G H L I G H T S
Cyberport videoconference facility bookings
19
Projects partnering with academia and industry
35+
Member organizations representing Alberta’s innovation-driven R&D sector
1,271 Visitors to Cybera website each month
1,000+ People reached through Cybera booth presence at industry events
Developers contributing to Cybera projects
100% 600
12,712+ Estimated users of current Cybera project portals (with potential for more as projects and portals mature)
Total attendees to Cybera events last year
CyberaNet network uptime. No unscheduled outages.
1,856
Subscribers to Cybera News last year
1GBPS
Fibre optic network installed at Alastair Ross Technology Centre to connect its tenants to CyberaNet
$12.2MILLION+
Total value to date of projects involving Cybera ($8 million of that directly managed by Cybera)
BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
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200 9 -2 01 0 H I G H L I G H T S
Cybera’s Calgary
Cybera’s Calgary
operations expanded to
Cyberport remodeled with
move 20 staff over to
room renovations and
office space in the Alberta
new equipment. Highlights
Innovates Technology Futures
include an automated
building in the University
Crestron system with
of Calgary Research Park.
controls for high definition
Cybera continues to support
videoconferencing.
and staff the Cyberport videoconference facility on the University of Calgary
Networking staff
campus.
have been working with
Installed and launched the Calgary-based GreenStar node, as part
Agriculture Canada in Lethbridge to set up a connection to CyberaNet.
of the CANARIE-funded GreenStar Network, which is connecting datacentres
CyberaNet connection to
to Canada’s first sustainable
Alberta Supernet upgraded
energy ‘green-powered’
from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps.
internet.
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PROJECT PROFILES GreenStar Network Carbon-neutral Connectivity Water and Environmental Hub Creating a Deep Pool of Water Data
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PROJECT PROFILES
GreenStar Network Carbon-neutral Connectivity When the topic
Eight solar panels used to power the Calgary GreenStar node.
By taking a leadership role in Green ICT through projects like the GreenStar Network, Canada will establish itself as a key innovator in this area. Understanding how to harness ‘clean’ energy sources as the demand for ICT services continues to burgeon will benefit all Canadians by ensuring technological growth and development has the least possible impact on our already overburdened environment. BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
of carbon emissions comes up in Alberta, the talk usually turns to oil sands development, coal-burning power generation and the much-maligned Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV). Few people realize, though, that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry accounts for about 2 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the rapid uptake of computers, mobile phones and the Internet is expected to double the industry’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. Next time you leave your computer running, consider this: according to research by Global Action Plan in the United Kingdom, the ICT industry is the world’s fastest growing GHG culprit, currently responsible for emissions roughly on par with the carbon output of the entire aviation industry. “The time for green computing has definitely come,” says Cybera President and CEO Robin Winsor. “Keeping our plugged-in, always-on world up and running demands a huge supply of power, most of it generated by coal-burning power plants. The GreenStar Network is a consortium of Canadian universities, information technology (IT) companies, government agencies and industry partners united by the common goal of reducing the GHG emissions arising from ICT services.” PROJECT PROFILES
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PROJECT PROFILES
Calgary GreenStar datacentre node on the roof of the Alastair Ross Technology Centre.
We are embarking on a new frontier for powering IT with alternative energy resources, which dovetails perfectly with Cybera’s mandate to support and drive the development of innovative cyberinfrastructure. At the same time, it lets us contribute to the goal of building sustainable, energy-smart infrastructure. Robin Winsor President and CEO Cybera
BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
More ICT, Less GHG Funded by CANARIE, Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network, and led by École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) in Montréal, the GreenStar Network (GSN) is a groundbreaking project whose aim is to create technology and standards for reducing the ICT industry’s carbon footprint. Most notably, it will establish the world’s first network of datacentres, or ‘nodes’, powered entirely by solar, wind and hydro energy. Located across Canada, these nodes house computer systems and facilitate the research necessary to determine the viability of future green networks. In time, this pan-Canadian network will connect with nodes in Ireland, Belgium, Spain and the United States to enable a “follow the sun/wind” computing environment. “The GreenStar Network has come together to develop low-carbon technologies, including renewable energy like wind and solar-powered networks, virtualization, carbon quantification procedures, and tools to ensure ICT’s carbon footprint remains under control and doesn’t increase as the world becomes more and more reliant on information and communications technologies,” says Mohamed Cheriet, Director of Synchromedia at ÉTS and spokesperson for the GSN. “We are incredibly proud to launch the network under the leadership of CANARIE’s Green IT pilot program.” PROJECT PROFILES
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PROJECT PROFILES
We are incredibly proud to launch the Network under the leadership of CANARIE’s Green IT pilot program.
Mohamed Cheriet Director of Synchromedia at ÉTS and spokesperson for the GSN
The Green Power of Innovation The Power of Partnership Cybera’s role in the project is to manage the Calgary-based datacentre—one of five nodes within the GSN network, each connected by optical fibre to the research network infrastructure. Following a few brief delays due to Calgary’s unpredictable weather, the final connections were made to the Calgary datacentre in June 2010. About the size of a household refrigerator, the datacentre resides atop the Alastair Ross Technology Centre in the University of Calgary Research Park, where it draws all the energy it requires from eight solar panels. “Cybera is proud to support the GreenStar Network initiative through the installation, configuration and maintenance of the Calgary solar-powered node. Contributing to projects such as this, where we are developing sustainable and energy-smart infrastructure, has the potential to provide a multitude of benefits to all Canadians,” says Winsor.
Of the $2.4 million CANARIE recently dedicated to four Green IT pilot projects, the GreenStar Network received the lion’s share: $2 million. Among the list of project partners are the managers of the GSN’s other Canadian datacentres: RackForce Networks Inc. (hydro-powered node in British Columbia); Communications Research Centre Canada (hydro-powered node in Ontario); Bastionhost Inc. (wind-powered node in Nova Scotia); and project leader École de technologies upérieure (solar- powered node in Québec). Other partners include the Canadian Standards Association – Climate Change Services; the Grid Research Centre, University of Calgary; Prompt Inc.; Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM); iDeal Consulting Inc.; and Inocybe Technologies.
Cybera is also participating in the GSN’s creation of the world’s first Carbon Measurement Protocol for ICT services. Although the protocol is based on the ISO 14064 international standard for GHG emissions, it will require synergistic, ICT-specific solutions relating to power and performance measurement and network and system operation. BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
PROJECT PROFILES
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PROJECT PROFILES
Water and Environmental Hub Creating a Deep Pool of Water Data From the impacts of recreation and tourism to the ramifications of agricultural, industrial or residential development, water streams through the centre of many a modern day issue. To intelligently debate and wisely resolve such issues, gaining access to current, comprehensive and accurate water data is crucial.
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PROJECT PROFILES
Easier said than done,
says University of Lethbridge researcher Stewart Rood. “While there is an enormous commitment in western Canada to gathering and compiling quality data related to water, accessing that data is fraught with challenges. Core data that comes out of government agencies may be publicly available, but there is a vast body of water data from other sources that is either difficult or impossible to access.”
The WE Hub will serve the needs of users at every level—from researchers concerned with phosphorus levels in a small waterway to elementary classrooms learning about waterway management.
BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
Mike Scarth agrees. “Knowledge of our water supply and quality is the foundation for effective decision- making, yet easy access to data remains one of the most significant challenges to economic development, sustainable water management and the protection of our watersheds,” says the Executive Director of Alberta WaterPortal. “Much of the data and information that exists is inaccessible, expensive, or difficult to locate, share or analyze with user-friendly tools. The Water and Environmental Hub (WE Hub) will provide a platform that helps us leverage our relationships with and encourage dialogue between more than 1,000 water-related organizations.”
Bridging the Information Gap By creating a collaborative, open source web platform that aggregates water and environmental information from a vast variety of sources, the WE Hub will impact the way people conduct research, manage natural resources, explore issues of public importance, and approach matters of economic development and diversification. “By providing open access to a vast body of data, the WE Hub will be an invaluable resource for many— researchers in pursuit of knowledge discovery, individuals and agencies involved in real-world resource management, and of course, the public at large. The beauty of the Internet is that it is absolutely democratic: the WE Hub will allow interested parties to access, absorb and analyze a comprehensive portfolio of information. Over time, more people will become more knowledgeable and be able to contribute to a broader, deeper dialogue about issues that affect us all,” says Rood.
PROJECT PROFILES
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PROJECT PROFILES
Expansion beyond western Canada is just a matter of time, as the platform has the potential to expand to a global scale. In fact, we are already in discussions with European data providers who seem eager to plug into global datasets. Alex Joseph | WE Hub
Development of the WE Hub involves four key activities: water community engagement, capacity building, data accessibility, and creation of analytical and interpretative tools to visualize and utilize water data. BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
Innovation Without Limits
The Power of Partnership
The WE Hub is launching across Alberta, but will expand to include neighbouring jurisdictions, such as British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, the Yukon and, over time, far beyond. “We see no reason to let geographic boundaries limit the scope of our vision,” says Alex Joseph, Executive Director of the WE Hub. “As water flows across borders, so must the data. A number of Alberta’s waterways and their watersheds straddle provincial and international borders; for a complete picture of these water systems, we need to be able to look at trans-border data.”
The WE Hub is a collaborative effort between public and private sectors. Key partners include Western Economic Diversification, the University of Lethbridge, Alberta WaterPortal (Alberta WaterSMART and the Tesera Systems Inc.), and the University of Calgary’s Biogeosciences Institute and Grid Research Centre.
To support the WE Hub’s development, Cybera will provide management, technical expertise and access to CI. Its data gathering and management techniques will build upon cloud computing modules Cybera coordinated for an earlier pilot project— Cloud Services for Water Management, which developed tools for flood and drought monitoring and management. In many respects, though, the WE Hub is the first project of its kind for Cybera. “Most of Cybera’s past projects have served almost exclusively the interests of academic and scientific research, and they have been decidedly ‘IT’ in nature,” explains Joseph. “By contrast, the WE Hub serves the needs of numerous user groups—academic researchers, yes, but also government, municipalities, regulators, industries, NGOs and the public. Further, it sees technology not as an end, but the means by which to tackle a complex, multidimensional real-world problem.”
Valued at $1.8 million, the WE Hub has received funding from three key sources: Cybera ($200,000), University of Lethbridge ($120,000) and Western Economic Diversification ($1.508 million). This is the first Cybera project to receive funding from Western Economic Diversification. In a March 2010 news release, Lynne Yelich, Minister of State (Western Economic Diversification) said, “The Government of Canada is working to support innovative and knowledge-based research to find new products, technologies or services that address environmental sustainability issues such as water quality and water quantity. Through investments in technology commercialization, we are preparing our economy for future growth and long-term prosperity.”
PROJECT PROFILES
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International Strategic ADVISORY COMMITTEE Since October 2008, Cybera’s International Strategic Advisory Committee (ISAC) has provided strategic advice and an international perspective to Cybera, its Board of Directors, and the Alberta Government. Working with the ISAC, Cybera has identified key focus areas, strategies, staff skills and resources needed to enable Albertans to collaborate and innovate, no matter where they may be located.
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INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC ADVISORY COMMITEE
The ISAC’s last meeting in November 2010 identified the following cyberinfrastructure trends to watch. Increasing importance of large data The opportunities for data storage and management services of that data are rapidly growing. As a result, this brings with it requirements for data visualization tools and deep analytics technologies. Significant needs for data archiving in specific target markets continue to emerge.
Growing need for on-demand HPC, grid, and cloud computing As research and development communities continue to overcome past barriers to accessing widely dispersed and complex data sets, this has set up a need for interactive computing and real-time streaming. As the prevalence of sensors and high-speed networks grows, so will the demand for more powerful and flexible capabilities in processing, analyzing and sharing data.
Greater emphasis on green IT As power costs continue to trend towards one day being equal to computing hardware costs, power efficiency is now recognized as of crucial importance. As a result, there is an increased willingness to locate infrastructure remotely. This is compatible with the many other reasons why cloud computing is expanding.
BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
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INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Bill Appelbe, Victorian Partnership for Advanced Computing Bill Appelbe is the founding CEO and Chief Scientist of Victorian Partnership for Advanced Computing (VPAC) in Australia. He has been employed or funded by companies and organizations including IBM, HP, Sun Microsystems, Los Alamos, and Motorola. Appelbe’s research interests include parallel programming tools, software engineering and software frameworks. He is an honorary faculty member of Monash University and RMIT and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Science Foundation Center for Geodynamics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Gregor von Laszewski, Center for Advancing the Study of Cyberinfrastructure, Rochester Institute of Technology Gregor von Laszewski is conducting stateof-the-art research in cloud computing and green IT at Indiana University. He received his masters from the University of Bonn in Germany, and his PhD in computer science from Syracuse University in New York. His current research interests include green IT, grid and cloud computing, and GPGPUs. He is best known for his efforts in making grids usable and initiating the Java Commodity Grid Kit, which provides a basis for many grid-related projects including the Globus toolkit.
Richard Fujimoto, Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology Richard Fujimoto is Regents’ Professor and the founding Chair of the School of Computational Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Interim Director of the Institute for Data and HPC, formed in 2010. He received his PhD and MS from the University of California, Berkeley, in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and two BS degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana in Computer Science and Computer Engineering. His publications include three books and several award-winning articles on parallel and distributed simulation.
Alexander Reinefeld, Zuse Institute and Humboldt University of Berlin Alexander Reinefeld is the Head of the Computer Science Department at Zuse Institute Berlin and a professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin. He received his degree and PhD from the University of Hamburg, was awarded a PhD scholarship by the German Academic Exchange Service, as well as a Sir Izaak Walton Killam Post Doctoral Fellowship from the University of Alberta. He co-founded the European Grid Forum, the Global Grid Forum and the German e-science initiative D-Grid. He has published numerous scientific papers and holds two patents on scalable distributed data management.
Kate Keahey, Argonne National Laboratory Kate Keahey is a Scientist in the Distributed Systems Lab at Argonne National Laboratory and a Fellow at the Computation Institute at the University of Chicago. Her research interests focus on virtualization, policy-driven resource management, as well as the design and development of cloud computing infrastructure and tools. She created and leads the open source Nimbus project, which provides an Infrastructure-as-a-Service cloud computing platform as well as other virtualization tools supporting a science-driven cloud ecosystem.
Debashis Saha, eBay Debashis Saha is the Director of Research and Development, Cloud Engineering at eBay. He has held senior management roles at Oracle Corporation’s Server Technologies and has extensive experience in managing and developing software in areas of distributed computing, database systems, Internet and grid technologies. He has several patents and publications in areas of computer systems and very large-scale integration design. Debashis holds a MS in electrical engineering and computer science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a BTech in computer science and engineering from Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur.
BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
Rob Simmonds, Grid Research Centre, University of Calgary Rob Simmonds is the Director of Research for the Grid Research Centre (GRC) at the University of Calgary. The GRC performs research and development into solutions for grid, utility and cloud computing, as well as the use of social networking tools for scientific applications. Simmonds holds a PhD in mathematical sciences from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom and is an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Calgary. Nancy Wilkins-Diehr, San Diego Supercomputing Center Nancy holds a BA in mathematics and philosophy and an MS in aerospace engineering. She has held a variety of positions related to user services with the San Diego Supercomputer Center, including Associate Director of Scientific Computing. Currently. She is the Area Director for the TeraGrid Science Gateways program, which enables scientists to develop web and client server interfaces to HPC, data and visualization resources. She has held this position since the inception of the program in 2004. Brian Unger (Chair), Grid Research Centre; University of Calgary Brian Unger is Executive Director of the Grid Research Centre and Professor Emeritus at the University of Calgary. He Chairs Cybera’s International Strategic Advisory Committee and is Special Advisor for the CambodiaCanada project iREACH (Informatics for Rural Empowerment and Community Health). He has served as the founding President and CEO of iCORE and of Netera Alliance (now Cybera), as a founding Co-Principal Investigator of WestGrid, the founding Chair of the Board of C3.ca, and the founding President and CEO of Jade Simulations.
INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
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EX T ERN AL R E V I E W C O M M I T T E E
Cybera’s External Review Committee approves new projects and consults with Cybera’s president on a strategic level as required. External Review Committee members are appointed by Cybera’s Board of Directors to review and evaluate projects for implementation by Cybera, and to make recommendations to the board regarding Cybera’s strategic initiatives. • Randy Goebel, Alberta Innovates Academy • Brian Unger, University of Calgary • Rainer Iraschko, TRLabs • Lise Fenez, Alberta Government
BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
EXTERNAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
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BOAR D O F D I R E C TO R S
Rainer Iraschko, TRLabs
Cybera’s Board of Directors represents
our diverse community of member organizations. Cybera works closely with these board members to expand our focus, extend our reach, and make Alberta a destination of choice for business, research and innovation.
Andrew Bjerring (member-at-large), CANARIE Andrew Bjerring was a founding member of CANARIE’s Board of Directors and was the President and Chief Executive Officer for 15 years. Bjerring has participated in numerous organizations dealing with networking and related applications. He is currently on the boards of the National Research Council’s Institute for Information Technology and Ocean Networks Canada. He is also a member of the advisory panel for the Alberta Science and Research Investments Program. Bjerring spent 18 years as a faculty member, then, a Senior Administrator in Academic Planning and Information Technology Services at the University of Western Ontario. He obtained his BSc and MASc from the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto, and his PhD from the University of Western Ontario.
BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
Rainer Iraschko holds a PhD from the University of Alberta and a BSc in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto. In 1997, Iraschko joined MCI’s Network Technology Development group where he investigated the efficiency of MCI’s North American transport network. Later, Iraschko moved to Silicon Valley, CA to launch ONI Systems and work as the Senior System and Network Architect for optical transport equipment. He helped ONI grow into a public company with a market capitalization in the billions. In 2001, Iraschko opened an office in Calgary, AB for Network Photonics Inc. Two years later, he started AccessNetware Inc., a broadband access solutions company. In 2004, he joined TELUS as an Optical Networking Strategist for the evolution of TELUS’ transport network. Presently, Iraschko is the Vice-President Research of TRLabs, a notfor-profit organization fostering industry growth through ICT innovation.
Lise fenez, Alberta Advanced Education and Technology (ex officio) Lise Fenez is Manager of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Industries with the Government of Alberta, Advanced Education and Technology. Located in Calgary as a key member of the Technology Industry Development Section, Fenez actively pursues Alberta’s mandate on economic diversification. She develops private-public technology development partnerships and initiatives with Alberta’s research institutions and multinational companies. By promoting Alberta’s Innovation System and commercialization programs, she supports local industry and attracts new technology investment to develop Alberta’s ICT sector. Prior to joining the public sector, Fenez has held various manufacturing, global operations and product life management roles for a Canadian multinational wireless network company. She has a BSc. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Manitoba and is a Professional Engineer in the province of Alberta. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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BOAR D O F D I R E C TO R S
Brian Olafson, AICTI Brian Olafson has had an exceptional and broad ranging career in the ICT industry. After graduating from the University of Alberta with a BSc, Brian embarked on a career with IBM, primarily in the areas of sales and marketing. Following, Brian joined ISM Alberta Ltd. as Vice-President of Marketing and Sales. During part of this time he was also President of Payment Systems Corporation, which was a payroll and financial services company formed by ISM Alberta and the Government of Alberta. In 1997, he joined TELUS as the Vice-President of Managed Services. In 1999, Brian joined Bell as Vice-President for western Canada. In 2002, he started as the Vice-President of the SuperNet project and the role of overseeing the successful construction of the Alberta SuperNet. In 2005, Olafson retired from Bell Canada and established Brian Olafson and Associates Management Consulting Ltd.
Seamus O’Shea (Chair), University of Lethbridge Seamus O’Shea is a professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Lethbridge. O’Shea’s research interests are in computational chemistry, especially in the relationship between the properties of molecules, singly and in pairs, and those of the corresponding liquids and solids. He has served as the Vice-President (Academic) and Provost of the University of Lethbridge, where he was involved in the development of information technology strategies for the university and its partners in Alberta’s public post-secondary system. O’Shea serves on iCORE’s Board of Directors and is Co-Chair of the taskforce implementing ApplyAlberta, the province’s on-line post-secondary application system.
BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
Jonathan Schaeffer, University of Alberta Jonathan Schaeffer is a professor in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Alberta, and is currently the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President for Information Technology. Schaeffer is the iCORE Chair in High Performance Artificial Intelligence Systems. His research in artificial intelligence is best known for his work on computer games. He is the creator of the checkers program Chinook, the first program to win against a human in the World Checkers Championship.
Peter Singendonk (ViceChair), Cisco Systems Canada Peter Singendonk is the Alberta Director for Systems Engineering at Cisco Systems. With over 29 years of industry experience, Singendonk has worked for multinational energy companies, systems integrators and service providers. Joining Cisco in 1997, he has been actively involved as a field advisor and a member to numerous projects and committees such as Web 2.0, and Specialist Virtualization and Corporate Citizenship.
Brian Unger, University of Calgary Brian Unger is the Executive Director of the Grid Research Centre at the University of Calgary and Past President of Cybera. Unger is also a Special Advisor for the joint CambodiaCanada project, Informatics for Rural Empowerment and Community Health, and a Co-Principal Investigator for WestGrid. He has served as the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of iCORE, the founding President of Netera Alliance (now Cybera), the founding Chair of C3.ca Inc, and the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of Jade Simulations. Unger was named a Canada Pioneer of Computing at an IBM CASCON conference. His list of awards includes the IWAY Public Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to Canada’s information society and the ASTech award for Innovation in Alberta Technology for his research in parallel simulation and distributed computation.
Trevor Davis, Mount Royal University Trevor Davis is the Associate VicePresident of Research at Mount Royal University. His research area is in the Geographic Information Science field, specifically on managing uncertainty in large spatial databases. At MRU, Davis focuses on advancing the cause of MRUbased research, ensuring that the research role is central to all decision making processes. His background is in research admin, as a faculty member, and previously, in film and television production.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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CY B E R A M E M B E R S
Cybera’s member community is made up of innovativedriven businesses, bleeding-edge startups, academic institutions, and government agencies. Access to emergent and robust technologies is what keeps our members competitive, collaborative and innovative. Through their membership, each of these organizations has been able to tap into Cybera’s technology test-bed, collaborate with experts in cloud, grid and Web 2.0, and take advantage of members-only benefits, such as reduced Internet costs and direct access to Alberta’s and Canada’s high-bandwidth advanced networks. Additional new member benefits – such as access to an HPC microcluster facility – will continue to be rolled out in 2011. As Cybera moves forward with its strategy to reach and support all Alberta innovators – no matter where they may be located – we recognize that a strong, collaborative partnership with our members is a key component of this initiative. For more information, or to become a Cybera member, email info@cybera.ca.
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CYBERA MEMBERS
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CY B E R A M E M B E R S BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
CYBERA MEMEBERS
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CY B E R A PA RTN E R S
Much of Cybera’s success is due to its strong and collaborative partnerships. Cybera works closely with the following organizations to evolve, advance and accelerate the way research and business are conducted.
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CYBERA PARTNERS
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C Y B E R A S TA F F
Amiot, Jean-Francois | Technical Operations Manager
Nicholson, Caroline | Finance Administrator
Carra, Barb | Project Coordinator
Purvis, Blair | Collaboration Technician
Darrah, Hilary | Communications Officer
Satchwill, Barton | Senior Developer (CESWP)
Debenham, Amanda | Communications Officer
Shillington, John | VP, Technology
Evans, Joni | Communications Officer
Sill, Lindsay | Project Manager
Ferguson, Marie | Bookkeeper
(On Maternity Leave until September 2011)
Has, Anita | Project Administrator
Teja, Karim | Chief Financial Officer
Joseph, Alex | Executive Director - WE Hub
Toews, Everett | Senior Developer (CESWP)
Kowalchuk, Jill | VP, Project & Partnership Development
Tymowski, Luke | Senior Systems Administrator
Lee, May Lynn | Project Coordinator
Winsor, Robin | President and CEO
Li, Long | Senior Systems Administrator
Young, Keeley | EA to Senior Management
Makar, Jana | Director of Communications
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CYBERA STAFF
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CY B E R A F I NA NCI AL S
Statement of Financial Position Year ended March 31, 2010, with comparative figures for 2009
Auditors’ Report to the Members
Assets
We have audited the statement of financial position of Cybera Inc. (“Cybera”) as at March 31, 2010 and the statements of operations, changes in net assets and cash flows for the year then ended. These financial statements are the responsibility of Cybera’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit.
Current assets: Cash Accounts receivable (note 3) Goods and services tax receivable Prepaid expenses
We conducted our audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform an audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
Property and equipment (note 4) Intellectual property including software
In our opinion, these financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Cybera as at March 31, 2010 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles.
2010
2009
$720,465 1,235,282 24,981 17,540
$1,514,253 599,451 1,042 2,126,197
1,998,268
2,126,197
–– 1
10,504 1
$1,998,269
$2,136,702
$761,740 621,000
$765,381 1,525,381
1,382,740
611,321
615,529
611,321
$1,998,269
$2,136,702
Liabilities and Net Assets Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 3) Deferred revenue
Net assets (note 5): Economic dependence (note 6) Subsequent event (note 8)
Chartered Accountants Calgary, Canada June 2, 2010
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See accompanying notes to financial statements.
CYBERA FINANCIALS
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CY B E R A F I NA NCI AL S
Statement of Operations Year ended March 31, 2010, with comparative figures for 2009
Revenue Infrastructure Projects Projects & partnership developement Marketing and communications General and administrative Depreciation
Excess (deficiency) of revenue over expenses
2010
2009
$4,801,191
$3,746,685
936,332 2,563,276 299,322 459,119 528,430 10,504
330,259 648,932 224,669 197,892 228,616 596,488
4,796,983
3,190,960
$4,208
$(1,049)
2010
2009
Net assets, beginning of year
$611,321
$55,596
Excess (deficiency) of revenue over expenses
4,208
555,725
$615,529
$611,321
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
Statement of Changes in Net Assets Year ended March 31, 2010, with comparative figures for 2009
Net assets, end of year
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
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CYBERA FINANCIALS
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CY B E R A F I NA NCI AL S
Statement of Cash Flows Year ended March 31, 2010, with comparative figures for 2009 2010
2009
$4,208
$555,725
10,504
5,967
14,712
561,692
(635,831) (15,530) (16,498) (3,641) (139,000)
(485,689) 2,456 6,440 485,871 (474,425)
Cash provided by (used in): Operations: Excess of revenue over expenses Add item not affecting cash: Depreciation Changes in non-cash working capital: Accounts receivable Goods and services tax receivable Prepaid expenses Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Deferred revenue
Investments: Expenditures on property and equipment
Increase (decrease) in cash
(808,500)
(465,348)
––
(16,471)
–
(16,471)
(793,788)
79,873
Cash, beginning of year
1,514,253
1,434,380
Cash, end of year
$720,465
$1,514,253
$17,054
$37,507
Supplemental cash flow information: Interest received
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
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CYBERA FINANCIALS
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CY B E R A F I NA NCI AL S
Notes to Financial Statements Year ended March 31, 2010 General: Cybera Inc. (“Cybera”) was incorporated on January 12, 1994 under Part II of The Canada Corporations Act as a corporation without share capital as WurcNet Inc. In 1999 it changed its name to Netera Alliance Inc. and in 2007 it changed its name to Cybera Inc. Cybera is an Alberta-based, not-for-profit alliance that manages large-scale inter-institutional ICT projects, including research networks, high performance computing resources, digital content projects and collaboration facilities. The objectives of Cybera are to provide information and communications infrastructure, project management, advocacy and technical expertise to leverage the resources, skills and services of its members, without preference or partiality to any individual member. As a not-for-profit organization, the income of Cybera is not subject to tax under paragraph 149(1)(l) of the Income Tax Act (Canada). 1. Significant accounting policies: (a) Revenue: Revenue from membership dues is recognized evenly over the term of the membership. Project revenue, which is comprised of contributions towards project costs, is recognized on the basis of the deferral method. Under this method, restricted contributions are recognized as revenue when the related project costs are incurred. Restricted contributions received in a period before the related expenses are incurred are accumulated as deferred revenue. Unrestricted contributions are recognized as revenue when received or receivable. (b) Project expenses: As part of the development of applications for the high speed network, Cybera provides funding for certain research and development projects. Cybera charges costs incurred on these projects to operations as incurred. Typically, Cybera does not retain ownership rights in the results of these projects, rather, these rights reside with the members. (c) Property and equipment and depreciation: Property and equipment is recorded at cost. Depreciation of property and equipment is provided using the straight-line method at a rate of 50% per year. (d) Donations: Cybera receives from its members and others, donations of professional time, services and office support. The value of these donations is not included in these financial statements as the related fair value cannot be reasonably determined. BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
(e) Foreign currency: All foreign currency denominated assets are translated into Canadian dollars at the rate of exchange in effect on the date of the Statement of Financial Position. Transactions that occur in a foreign currency are translated into Canadian dollars at the rate of exchange in effect when realized.
(e) Use of estimates: The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant estimates include the valuation of accounts receivable, property and equipment and accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Actual results could differ from those estimates. (f) Financial instruments: All financial instruments must be initially recognized at fair value on the balance sheet date. Cybera has classified each financial instrument into the following categories; held for trading financial assets and liabilities, loans or receivables, held to maturity investments, available for sale financial assets, and other financial liabilities. Subsequent measurement of the financial instruments is based on their classification. Unrealized gains and losses on held for trading financial instruments are recognized in earnings. Gains and losses on available for sale financial assets are recognized in changes in net assets and transferred to earnings when the asset is derecognized. The other categories of financial instruments are recognized at amortized cost using the effective interest rate method. Upon adoption of the new standards, Cybera has classified cash as held for trading, accounts receivable as loans and receivables, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities as other liabilities. 2. Change in accounting policies: (a) Accounting policies adopted in the current year: Effective April 1, 2009, Cybera adopted the amendments to Section 4400 “Financial Statement Presentation by Not-for-Profit Organizations” issued by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accounts (“CICA”). These amendments require the presentation of revenue and expenses on a gross basis when acting as the principal agent, eliminates the requirement to show net assets invested in property and equipment as a separate component of net assets and requires separate reporting of investing and financing activities in the statement of cash flows. Amendments to Section 1000 “Financial Statements Concepts” issued by the CICA clarified the criteria for recognition of an asset or liability, removing the ability to recognize assets or liabilities CYBERA FINANCIAL NOTES
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CY B E R A F I NA NCI AL S
solely on the basis of matching of revenue and expense items. Adoption of these recommendations had no significant impact on the financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2010. (b) Future accounting pronouncements: The Accounting Standards Board (“AcSB”) has recently issued an Exposure Draft for Not-for-Profit Organizations. The AcSB proposes that Not-for-Profit Organizations select one of the two following alternatives for financial reporting: • The current Section 4400 “Financial Statement Presentation by Not-for-Profit Organizations” issued by CICA in conjunction with generally accepted principles for private enterprises, or • International Financial Reporting Standards. These available standards are applicable to fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2012. Current standards will continue to apply until the new standards are issued. Adoption of these new standards is being evaluated and the impact on future financial statements is not known or reasonably estimated at this time. 3. WestGrid and CANARIE projects: The March 31, 2010 year-end balances include accounts receivable of $986,202 (2009 - $469,209) and accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $658,377 (2009 - $367,635) where claims were made on behalf of all participants with total revenue booked as a receivable and participant invoices booked as payables 4. Property and equipment:
Computer equipment
2010
2009
Cost
Accumulated depreciation
Net book value
Net book value
$16,471
$16,471
$–
$10,504
transactions are in the normal course of operations and are measured at the exchange amount of consideration established and agreed to by the related parties. 8. Subsequent event: On April 5, 2010 $300,000 was received from the Alberta Government relating to fiscal 2011 funding. 9. Financial instruments: Fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities: Financial instruments include cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable and accrued liabilities and approximate their carrying value because of the short term nature of these instruments.
Credit risk: Accounts receivable are subject to minimal credit risk as the majority of the receivables are from government-sponsored institutions. Foreign currency risk: Foreign currency exposure arises from the holding of a U.S. bank account and transactions with foreign companies. Cash held as at December 31, 2009 and 2008 is minimal. Interest rate risk: Interest rate risk arises from the holdings of fixed income securities. As interest rates fluctuate, the fair value of these securities will be impacted.
9. Comparative figures: Certain comparative figures have been reclassified to comply with the current year’s presentation.
5. Net assets: In the event of dissolution or winding-up of Cybera, all of its remaining assets after payment of its liabilities would be distributed to other not-for-profit organizations. 6. Economic dependence: Future operations are dependant on continued funding from the Alberta Government. 7. Related party transactions: In accordance with amounts agreed to, a company controlled by a director of Cybera was paid $ nil (2009 - $3,400) for consulting services provided to Cybera during the year. During the year, in the ordinary course of business, $3,335 (2009 – nil) was received from a company in which the CFO has significant influence. These BRIDGINGGAPS | POWERINGINNOVATION
CYBERA FINANCIAL NOTES
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CONTRIBUTING Writer Stephen Lund editor Jana Makar designer Grin Design House Inc.
Calgary Office
Edmonton Office
Phone: 403-210-5333 Fax: 403-201-5339
Phone: 780-492-9940 Fax: 780-492-8492
3608 33 Street NW Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A6
2-59C Computing Science Centre University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E8
www.cybera.ca | info @ cybera.ca | @ cybera
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