Internet2 Updates

Internet2: A collaborative partner since day one

Internet2 is a non-profit advanced technology consortium that provides secure, high-speed network, cloud solutions, research support, and other services to the research and education community. Internet2 interconnects U.S. universities, government agencies, industry partners, and regional and state education networks, supporting the work of these groups as well as 100,000+ community anchor institutions. IU’s GlobalNOC has been a proud partner of Internet2 since 1996.

Internet2 network connections

Internet2’s Next Generation Infrastructure (NGI) program is delivering a new, advanced generation of national research and education network, focused on five key drivers:

  • Enabling the data-intensive scientist
  • Helping researchers and campuses move to the cloud
  • Enabling the infrastructure through software with self-service and API interfaces
  • Building ecosystem-wide services that simplify edge-to-edge connectivity
  • Resetting the capacity and scale economies of the infrastructure itself

2020 was the year NGI became concrete, when all of the important and hard work developing requirements, planning, and organizing the program came together and shifted to the nuts-and-bolts deployment of real next-gen infrastructure across the country.

4xthe speed of current generation network

8,700miles covered

32network spans of new national backbone completed

None of this infrastructure would truly be useful, however, if it didn’t enable new network services. In 2020, Internet2 launched Cloud Connect 1.5 with improved usage reporting, faster turn-up, and integration with Grouper.

By the end of 2020, over 100 campuses were using Internet2’s Cloud Connect service.