Technology Park, Johns Creek 
IPv6
IPv6 is the Next Generation Internet Protocol (underlying TCP, UDP and all Internet application protocols), which is replacing the 20-year-old IPv4 (still in use in most of the world). IPv6 supports 128 bit addresses (vs. 32 in IPv4), and has far better mechanisms for automated network configuration, security, and routing. Most of the world will have switched over to IPv6 within a few years, so any new network equipment or software bought today should fully support it. The US Department of Defense now requires IPv6 support for any new equipment purchases. Existing NICs (Network Interface Cards) and hubs will still work with IPv6. Most every other network device (switches, routers, firewalls, DNS/DHCP servers, proxy servers) will have to be replaced or upgraded. Most operating systems will need to have their TCP/IP network stacks updated. Many network applications (especially servers) such as email, Web, file and printer sharing, must also be updated. Some of these items already widely support IPv6 while others, such as firewalls, are only now starting to support IPv6. The leading work worldwide in supporting IPv6 in the FreeBSD operating system (which is immediately ported to NetBSD and OpenBSD, due to their common code bases) is being done in Japan (the KAME and WIDE projects). Other operating systems, such as Linux and Windows are lagging considerably behind (often years behind) these.
Network Appliances
Generally, network applications (such as email servers, DNS servers, etc.) sold or obtained as software are very difficult to install and secure correctly. One of the main modern trends is to obtain such things pre-installed and secured, with secure web or client/server administration, on a hardened OS platform, in the form of a dedicated rack mount computer. In this form, they can be made far more secure, stable, and reliable than software applications deployed by typical system administrators. It is typically cheaper, and certainly much faster, to buy them this way than to have a highly paid system administrator spend considerable time doing it himself. The administrator need not know much about advanced topics such as UNIX, OS hardening, command line or configuration file management. All administration is done via simple GUI web (or client/server) consoles, much like using native Windows applications.
PKI (Public Key Infrastructure)
The underlying technology that adds trust to public keys, making cryptographic systems useful. PKI involves the creation and management of public keys in digitally signed documents called Digital Certificates. Public hierarchy digital certificates are obtained from trusted third parties such as VeriSign, but there are numerous situations in which an organization can create and manage its own private hierarchies.
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