Great Plains Network
Great Plains Network (GPN) is a 1997-founded, Columbia, Missouri-based non-profit R&E networking consortium that aggregates advanced network connectivity through PoP connections for over 20 universities and state research networks across nine U.S. states, serving as the first regional connector to Internet2.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersColumbia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Great Plains Network does
Great Plains Network (GPN) is a non-profit research and education (R&E) networking consortium founded in 1997 and headquartered at 221 N. Stadium Blvd., Suite 201, Columbia, Missouri, with a 24x7 Network Operations Center. It aggregates advanced networking for universities and state research and education networks across nine U.S. states (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and additional member states) by interconnecting member institutions through Point of Presence (PoP) connections and serving as the regional connector to Internet2 — a role GPN held first in 1997, including the first 2x10G Internet2 link.
GPN's technology stack centers on a perfSONAR-based network performance monitoring mesh (hosted at dashboard.greatplains.net) for end-to-end throughput and latency testing, supplemented by community cyberinfrastructure programs (GP-ARGO, CyberTeam for cybersecurity support, a research platform, and a Carpentries Foundation training membership). Member institutions contribute tools such as Kansas State University's kstat cluster-monitoring software, and GPN brokers access to national compute resources including the Open Science Pool (OSPool) and Energy Sciences Network (ESNet). Its core product is the consortium itself rather than a discrete software offering.
GPN operates a member-driven, consortium-style go-to-market model. Revenue is generated through recurring membership dues from over 20 universities and state networks, annual conference registration fees (tiered $100–$450), and government grants — most notably a $1.8 million Pentagon Department of War award (2026, over two years) routed through the affiliated Great Plains Innovation Network (GPIN) in Manhattan, Kansas for defense reverse-engineering work. Vendor sponsorships (VAST Data, BlueAlly, Arelion, Ciena, Juniper Networks, Palo Alto Networks, Cisco/AlgoSec, Globus, Intel) supplement events. Leadership is provided by Executive Director Mickey Slimp and Cyberinfrastructure Technologist Kate Adams; governance rests with an Executive Council of member-state representatives.
Great Plains Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Great Plains Network
- Legal name
- Great Plains Network
- Website
- https://greatplains.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Great Plains Network (GPN) is a 1997-founded, Columbia, Missouri-based non-profit R&E networking consortium that aggregates advanced network connectivity through PoP connections for over 20 universities and state research networks across nine U.S. states, serving as the first regional connector to Internet2.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Great Plains Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Research and Education Networking
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Edge Networking & SD-WAN/uCPE for Edge Sites (HDABAOAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Network Operating Systems (NOS) for Data Centers (HDABAFAE)
Keywords
Where Great Plains Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Great Plains Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Consortium membership fees from universities and state research and education networks across nine states
- Conference Registration Fees: Annual meeting registration fees including early bird and late pricing tiers for members and non-members
- Government Grants: Federal grants for specific initiatives such as the Pentagon reverse-engineering program ($1.8 million over two years)
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | GPN Member Early Bird Registration |
| Subscription | Annual | GPN Member Late Registration |
| Subscription | Annual | GPN Non-Member Early Bird Registration |
| Subscription | Annual | GPN Non-Member Late Registration |
| Subscription | Annual | GPN Graduate Student Registration |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | GPN 2023 Member Early Bird |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | GPN 2023 Student |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | GPN 2023 Gala Spouse Ticket |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Great Plains Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Great Plains Network is a nonprofit consortium that aggregates research and education networks through Point of Presence (PoP) connections, providing advanced networking infrastructure and cyberinfrastructure development for universities and state research and education networks across nine Great Plains states. It operates network performance monitoring (perfSONAR mesh), cybersecurity support (CyberTeam), a research platform, and training programs for member institutions.
Product overview
Great Plains Network is a network consortium (not a product company) that provides network aggregation through PoP connections and supports cyberinfrastructure development for universities and state research and education networks across seven states. The organization offers network monitoring services via its perfSONAR mesh, cybersecurity support through CyberTeam, research computing platforms, and training programs including Carpentry workshops. The main offering is the consortium itself, which enables advanced networking and collaboration among member institutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Great Plains Network Consortium Membership A consortium aggregating networks through Point of Presence (PoP) connections that advances research, fosters collaboration, and supports cyberinfrastructure development for universities and state research and education networks across the Great Plains region.
- GPN perfSONAR Mesh
Companies that use Great Plains Network
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Great Plains Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Great Plains Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Kansas State UniversitycoreUniversity partner in the Pentagon reverse-engineering initiative through the Great Plains Innovation Network (GPIN) in Manhattan, Kansas. The partnership aims to create technical data packages for obsolete defense technologies and build a more resilient defense supply chain.
- Great Plains Innovation Network (GPIN)coreGPIN in Manhattan, Kansas received approximately $1.8 million investment over two years from the Pentagon's Department of War to create technical data packages for obsolete defense technologies lacking documentation.
- Defense Logistics AgencycoreFederal agency whose existing catalog is being leveraged to enable future procurement of currently unobtainable parts as part of the reverse-engineering initiative.
- Internet2coreGPN was the first regional connector to Internet2 and continues as a key member connecting regional research institutions to the national advanced research and education network. Collaboration includes Internet2 Emerging Leaders scholarship program.
- The Carpentries FoundationcoreGPN holds a Foundation Membership in The Carpentries, providing Carpentry workshops and training to member institutions including Unix shell, Git, and Python training.
- ARE-ON (Arkansas Research and Education Optical Network)majorJoint annual conferences held with ARE-ON, including the GPN and ARE-ON Joint Conference 2026. ARE-ON is a state network partner.
- OneNet (Oklahoma)majorOneNet was one of GPN's founding members who helped develop GPN into a regional network. They celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2026.
- VAST DataminorPlatinum sponsor of GPN 2023 Annual Meeting; VAST Data delivers the data platform at the heart of the AI-powered world and is described as the fastest-selling data infrastructure startup in history.
- BlueAlly Technology SolutionsminorPlatinum sponsor (Thursday Lunch Platinum Sponsor) of GPN 2023 Annual Meeting; provides enterprise data center technologies and business solutions.
- Arelion (formerly Telia Carrier)minorGold sponsor of GPN 2023 Annual Meeting; leading light in global connectivity services with global IP backbone ranked number one in the world.
- CienaminorGold sponsor and Thursday Lunch & Noon Keynote Sponsor of GPN 2022 Annual Meeting; networking systems, services, and software company providing Adaptive Network solutions.
- Juniper NetworksminorPlatinum sponsor and Thursday Breakfast & Morning Keynote Sponsor of GPN 2022 Annual Meeting; equipment vendor of choice for R&E Networks worldwide.
- Palo Alto NetworksminorGold Room sponsor of GPN 2023 Annual Meeting; world's cybersecurity leader providing next-gen cybersecurity platforms and services.
- Veritas/CarahsoftminorGold Room sponsor of GPN 2023 Annual Meeting; Veritas enables organizations to harness the power of their information with solutions for complex environments.
- Cisco/AlgoSecminorGold Room sponsor of GPN 2023 Annual Meeting; Cisco is the worldwide leader in technology powering the Internet; AlgoSec empowers organizations to secure application connectivity.
- Intel CorporationminorExhibitor level sponsor of GPN 2022 Annual Meeting; offers comprehensive HPC portfolio with deep learning acceleration built directly into chips.
- ESNet (Energy Sciences Network)coreESNet celebrated 40th anniversary in 2025; GPN participates in ESNet's research and education network ecosystem and uses their R&E network lists for perfSONAR configuration.
- Open Science Pool (OSPool)coreGPN hosts OSG Summer School and provides training on scaling out computing on the OSPool, a national computing resource for running computational work at scale.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Great Plains Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Great Plains Network social profiles
Digital presenceGreat Plains Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Great Plains Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Great Plains Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Great Plains Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Great Plains Network
What does Great Plains Network do?
Great Plains Network is a nonprofit consortium that aggregates research and education networks through Point of Presence (PoP) connections, providing advanced networking infrastructure and cyberinfrastructure development for universities and state research and education networks across nine Great Plains states. It operates network performance monitoring (perfSONAR mesh), cybersecurity support (CyberTeam), a research platform, and training programs for member institutions.
Is Great Plains Network a public or private company?
Great Plains Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Great Plains Network founded?
Great Plains Network was founded in 1997. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Great Plains Network based?
Great Plains Network is headquartered in Columbia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Great Plains Network make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are conference Registration Fees and government Grants.
Does Great Plains Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Great Plains Network.
What industry is Great Plains Network in?
Great Plains Network's product category is Research and Education Networking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDABAOAE, Edge Networking & SD-WAN/uCPE for Edge Sites, with a secondary code of HDABAFAE, Network Operating Systems (NOS) for Data Centers. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 4899.