Clear frameworks key for IPv6 migration
By Donna DonnowitzJune 13, 2011
To successfully migrate to IPv6, businesses need to interact with advanced and complex technologies that will impact every aspect of their network infrastructure. To begin the process, they need to clearly define a basic framework that will inform and guide their IPv6 migration to completion, InfoWorld reports.
According to the report, emphasizing content that directly faces the customer is the first basic key to IPv6 migration. This is a critical step because IPv6 is not backward compatible. Therefore, a consumer that purchases a new IPv6 router will not be able to access websites and other content that are hosted within an IPv4 infrastructure. Businesses that do not adapt their customer-facing content to support both IPv4 and IPv6 could lose their connection to a significant number of customers.
The report said this step is especially important when it comes to website performance. In theory, the consumer's internet service provider is responsible for making IPv6-compliant systems available and capable of performing well. However, the report said most consumers will likely blame a business if they try to reach their website and experience performance issues working with IPv6. Therefore, adopting the new protocol is a critical part of customer support.
Migrating internal networking systems to the IPv6 protocol should be the second major step toward IPv6 adoption, according to the report. Once customers can access content, businesses need to overhaul their internal network systems so that content that never leaves a company's private network is still capable of handling both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols. Internal systems are not as urgent as customer-facing content, the report said, but are still a key part of IPv6 compliance.
A third part of IPv6 migration is identifying and adapting transition areas. The report said transition areas can be anything from security to communications infrastructure, but the common thread between all systems is that they will be impacted by IPv6 migration. This means transition areas can be technical or cultural in nature, but are critical to adopting the new standard, according to the report.
Businesses are increasingly becoming aware of the urgent and critical nature of adopting basic frameworks and beginning the IPv6 migration process. According to a recent annual study by the IPv6 Task Force, overall trends point toward a steady increase in IPv6 migration around the world. However, the public and private sector are displaying widely disparate results in IPv6 adoption.
According to the report, emphasizing content that directly faces the customer is the first basic key to IPv6 migration. This is a critical step because IPv6 is not backward compatible. Therefore, a consumer that purchases a new IPv6 router will not be able to access websites and other content that are hosted within an IPv4 infrastructure. Businesses that do not adapt their customer-facing content to support both IPv4 and IPv6 could lose their connection to a significant number of customers.
The report said this step is especially important when it comes to website performance. In theory, the consumer's internet service provider is responsible for making IPv6-compliant systems available and capable of performing well. However, the report said most consumers will likely blame a business if they try to reach their website and experience performance issues working with IPv6. Therefore, adopting the new protocol is a critical part of customer support.
Migrating internal networking systems to the IPv6 protocol should be the second major step toward IPv6 adoption, according to the report. Once customers can access content, businesses need to overhaul their internal network systems so that content that never leaves a company's private network is still capable of handling both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols. Internal systems are not as urgent as customer-facing content, the report said, but are still a key part of IPv6 compliance.
A third part of IPv6 migration is identifying and adapting transition areas. The report said transition areas can be anything from security to communications infrastructure, but the common thread between all systems is that they will be impacted by IPv6 migration. This means transition areas can be technical or cultural in nature, but are critical to adopting the new standard, according to the report.
Businesses are increasingly becoming aware of the urgent and critical nature of adopting basic frameworks and beginning the IPv6 migration process. According to a recent annual study by the IPv6 Task Force, overall trends point toward a steady increase in IPv6 migration around the world. However, the public and private sector are displaying widely disparate results in IPv6 adoption.
