W2COG Partners with IPv6 Forum; Groups Both Work to Promote Next-Generation Technologies

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2006--The World Wide Consortium for the Grid (W2COG) Institute, a not-for-profit international, collaborative association devoted to developing and delivering practical tools that advance and support netcentric operations (NCO) for global security and commerce, today announced that it has partnered with the IPv6 Forum to jointly promote the development and implementation of next-generation technologies.

"IPv6 gives us the opportunity to improve current communications capabilities, especially at the 'edge' of the network where we need it most, so a partnership with the IPv6 Forum is a natural fit for W2COG."

"IPv6 is an important technology for the interoperability of military and homeland defense operations, and for other netcentric operations such as disaster relief," said Chris Gunderson, W2COG executive director. "IPv6 gives us the opportunity to improve current communications capabilities, especially at the 'edge' of the network where we need it most, so a partnership with the IPv6 Forum is a natural fit for W2COG."

The two groups have already worked together to identify, as co-participants, an IPv6 Transition Strategy and Plan for the Australian Defense Organization. Both the W2COG and IPv6 Forum have well-respected and knowledgeable networking Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in the areas of Mobility, Quality of Service, Routing and other required network services expertise, in addition to IPv6. Another area of potential collaboration will be using IPv6 and other emerging network services to support the prototype and development of Emergency First Responder networks. The two groups will benefit from each other's center of expertise and form a partnership to assist the deployment of IPv6 and Next Generation Networks.

The IPv6 Forum is an international consortium working to promote and assist the deployment of the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). The Internet Protocol is a standardized method of transporting information across the Internet in packets of data. It governs the addressing and routing of data packets through a network. The current version, IPv4, is nearly 20 years old and was never designed for the massive number of machines that are now part of the Internet. As such, IPv6 addresses a growing need for new IP addresses, as well as emerging improvements in quality of service, network mobility, and end-to-end security. The two versions are expected to coexist for a number of years and then IPv6 should gradually replace IPv4.

The White House Office of Management and Budget has directed all U.S. federal agencies to develop IPv6 transition plans by February 2006 and has required that agencies be IPv6 compliant by June 2008.

Both W2COG and the IPv6 Forum advocate for the development and implementation of next generation Internet networks, technologies, applications and policies.

"The IPv6 Forum supports the mission of the W2COG and looks forward to jointly promoting common objectives for greater and global deployment of IPv6 applications and models," said Latif Ladid, president of the IPv6 Forum.

"W2COG and IPv6 Forum partnership will provide a center of expertise for IPv6 and Next Generation Networking deployment that will assist both government and industry to learn more about how to deploy the required emerging network technology using ubiquitous IPv6 end-to-end," said IPv6 Forum Chief Technology Officer Jim Bound.

About the World Wide Consortium for the Grid

The World Wide Consortium for the Grid (W2COG) is an international, collaborative association accelerating the development and deployment of tools that support global security and peaceful commerce. W2COG provides a secure, open platform where professionals from government, industry and academia can test, validate and deliver practical netcentric applications. For further information about W2COG, please refer to .www.w2cog.org.

About the IPv6 Forum

The IPv6 Forum is a world-wide consortium of over 175 leading Internet service vendors, National Research & Education Networks (NRENs) and international ISPs, with a clear mission to promote IPv6 by improving market and user awareness, creating a quality and secure New Generation Internet and allowing world-wide equitable access to knowledge and technology. The key focus of the IPv6 Forum today is to provide technical guidance for the deployment of IPv6. IPv6 Summits are organized by the IPv6 Forum and staged in various locations around the world to provide industry and market with the best available information on this rapidly advancing technology.