The coronavirus pandemic found the technical team
of Colombia’s National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) moving forward with the development
and deployment of IPv6. This unexpected obstacle further strengthened the idea
of advancing in the transition to the new Internet protocol.
This momentum led the organization to register for
the latest edition of the IPv6 Challenge, a competition designed by LACNIC to
promote the use of this protocol in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The work of the Colombian team was recognized for
its excellent quality standards and the methodologies it used. LACNIC News
interviewed Rafael Ignacio Sandoval
Morales, General Project Manager at IPv6 Technology of Colombia.
LACNIC’s
IPv6 Challenge is an opportunity to show Latin America and particularly
Colombia what the National Disaster Risk Management Unit, a pioneer within its
sector at the national level, has achieved in terms of its transition to the
new Internet protocol. Our experience will encourage others who are just starting
this process.
We
chose this moment to apply because IPv6 development and implementation at UNGRD
was mature enough, and the Challenge gave us the chance to validate this degree
of maturity and to find out if what we had done met the standards and complied
with the methodologies proposed for this type of implementations.
Taking
one of the first places in LACNIC’s IPv6 Challenge places UNGRD among the
winners and makes us feel very proud for Colombia. We measured ourselves
against many other projects from different countries and we were evaluated by a
committee comprised of well-known Latin American experts. This means that we
did things more than well.
What lessons did you learn as a result of the IPv6
Challenge considering that your participation was marked by the appearance of
the COVID-19 virus?
The
appearance of COVID-19 represented a challenge for the technological
infrastructure of any entity, so we had to adjust all our processes and
resources to meet user needs.
The
implementation of IPv6 allowed us to continue providing various technological
services that are key to our organization, without many of our business
divisions suffering any interruptions. In fact, at the beginning of the
pandemic there was a significant increase in the demand for technological
services due to the relocation and virtualization of employment. That’s when we
started to notice that our clients are consuming more services via IPv6,
although this is transparent to the users.
Which initiative did you enter to the Challenge?
How many people were part of your working team and what results did you achieve
through this process?
UNGRD
is at the technological forefront and always strives to comply with the
guidelines issued by the Colombian state, in this case, those defined for the
transition to IPv6.
To
do so, UNGRD organized a tender to select a consultancy services provider to
accompany the process of transitioning to IPv6, with the goal of minimizing
possible risks as well as increasing quality, knowledge and expertise. The team
at UNGRD was made up by Luis Javier Barrera and Javier Soto, and was
accompanied by an interdisciplinary team from IPv6 Technology SAS (www.ipv6technology.co) who provided their advice for
the diagnosis, planning, implementation and commissioning stages. This synergy
and collaboration throughout the project were what ultimately led to a
successful outcome. In addition, we have also advanced in compliance with the
regulations provided by the Colombian Ministry of ICT.
What advice do you have for those organizations that would like to deploy IPv6
in their networks?
IPv6
is undoubtedly a challenge, but it is also a requirement for business
continuity. While technical support will obviously be provided by the IT
department, we recommend raising the issue with senior management. “If you
don’t implement IPv6, you will lose global connectivity and have trouble with
the adoption of new technologies.” This is a luxury that no management can
afford.
Likewise,
the staff should also be trained in the different areas of ICT that use IPv6,
as the transition involves multiple changes compared to IPv4, both in terms of
configuration as well as in terms of management and administration of
infrastructure and services.
Because
it is a medium- and long-term process, having clear goals and understanding the
process is essential for defining priorities for the services that must be
deployed and implemented, aligning them with any programmed changes of
technology, and planning for the necessary investments. Always considering
compatibility and compliance with the IPv6 protocol. Based on our experience, a
proper selection of our workers and consultants if necessary is also very
important.
In your opinion, is Colombia truly aware of IPv4
exhaustion and of the need to deploy IPv6 to sustain the current Internet
business model?
Today,
there is greater awareness of IPv4 exhaustion. The country now has a better
understanding of the need to bring all its platforms to IPv6 because no
business model will survive without Internet access. This is precisely why this
new protocol is essential. While there is still much work to do and articulate,
the efforts of the Ministry of ICT with its various regulations, standards and actions
are also worth noting, as they have served to support the entities in the
country.
