ENISA- 1st EU Agency with IPv6

The EU Agency ENISA [i.e. the European Network and Information Security Agency] now delivers its web site content over the new Internet protocol IPv6. With this action, ENISA is the first EU Agency to implement the European Commission's IPv6 Action Plan.

All computer and electronic devices that connect to the web and other online services uses Internet Protocol Addresses. The current Internet Protocol, IPv4, provides a limited number of such addresses. According to estimates these addresses will all be exhausted by 2011. The new Internet Protocol, IPv6, allows every citizen and organization to have as many Internet Addresses as they need to connect every conceivable device to the Internet: mobile phones, car navigation systems, home appliances, industrial equipment, etc.

Besides the obvious increase in address space, IPv6 offers many technological advantages that have significant economic impact. IPv6 is expected to be a key driver for many new mobile and wireless applications and services and an essential technology for implementing ambient intelligence.

During 2008 ENISA carried out an assessment of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), along with two other key technologies, regarding its potential to provide increased network resilience. This analysis was carried out from two perspectives. The first consisted of analysing the characteristics of the selected technologies and their public communication network's resilience enhancing features. In parallel, the effectiveness, problems and gaps that potentially could compromise the availability of networks and services, was assessed through interviews with twelve network operators in EU Member States.

The Agency commented:

“By delivering its web content over the new Internet Protocol, ENISA actively supports Europe’s objective to widely implement IPv6 by 2010. At the same time, ENISA is using its own recommendations; to take advantage of the technological and resiliency features of the new protocol.”

Bosco Fernandes of Nokia Siemens Networks, former Coordinator of the EC Steering Committee Task Force on IPv6 and member of the ITU Executive Board, welcomed this initiative:

"ENISA has made a strategic move towards IPv6 deployment. The IPv6 community most welcomes this initiative ENISA has taken. The Industry at large is now finally appreciating the need to deploy IPv6 in most sectors. It is a high priority topic in the telecom industry as well as for 3GPP, ITU and the UMTS Forum."

To offer its web content over IPv6, ENISA deployed native IPv6 connectivity at its service providing network and enabled Domain Name System (DNS) resolution and Hyper Text Transfer Protocol/Secure (HTTP/S) service delivery over IPv6.

Background: European Commission communication on IPv6, of 27 May 2008.
ENISA’s Multiannual Thematic Program has the objective to improve the resilience of public eCommunications in Europe.

For further details:

Demosthenes Ikonomou, ENISA, http://www.enisa.europa.eu/sta/ Security Tools and Architectures