PARTNERSHIPS,
Firms new to the Hub team up with local institutions to tap resources, generate goodwill in community
Software giant Red Hat and Boston University will spend the next five years in a multimillion-dollar research partnership focused on cloud technology, just the latest high-profile company to set up shop in the Hub and ink a deal with a local institution.
“One goal is clearly to tap into the vast talent pool we have in Boston, and the great university community,” said Jan Holzer, a senior consulting engineer at Red Hat. “We want to be able to do some forward-looking work around cloud security, big data, to explore areas in the part we would have not explored.”
The $5 million partnership will focus on research and development related to cloud computing, including security and data analysis. Cloud computing refers to programs that use an internet connection and remote servers to handle the heavy processing.
“This provides opportunities for Red Hat employees to be part of various kinds of research,” said Azer Bestavros, a BU computer science professor. “They have access to talent, and they can connect with faculty and students. It gives them the ability to find new uses for their platform.”
Red Hat sells products built on “open-source” software, which means anyone can use or modify the code. Open-source software is fueling development and innovation, particularly in software for businesses, which means the partnership will help shift that balance back to universities.
“The innovation which used to happen in academia now happens in open-source communities,” Holzer said.
Red Hat, based in Raleigh, N.C., announced last year that it would open a new office in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood. Holzer and other company officials have said a big part of the expansion is to take advantage of Boston’s university community and the engineers who graduate from local schools.
Red Hat is hardly the first bigname company to quickly line up a partnership after moving or expanding to the Hub. Last week, General Electric announced it would sponsor the Boston Celtics’ jerseys and add its logo to the green and white. The company has also pledged $25 million to Boston Public Schools, $10 million to STEM programs and another $15 million for community health centers.
“It’s been something a lot of companies have done,” said Herman Leonard, a professor at Harvard Business School who studies corporate social responsibility. “They would like people to know they’re here, and want people to know they’re a good citizen.”