TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY FORMS NEW NATIONAL INTERNET2 TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION CENTER

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M University and Internet2(R) signed a Memorandum of Understanding today (Nov. 19) to create the first Internet2 Voice over IP Technology Evaluation Center (ITEC). Internet2 is a consortium led by more than 200 universities, working with industry and government to develop and deploy advanced Internet applications and technologies.

Voice over IP (VoIP) opens up a wide spectrum of opportunities to improve voice services, with the potential to advance voice far beyond plain-old telephone service.  VoIP also creates a whole new set of security challenges.  The Texas A&M ITEC will focus on VoIP security, assurance, and interoperability, guiding the Internet2 community as it seeks to realize the potential of VoIP and address its challenges.

The center will perform testing, research and development of voice over IP technologies as well as share those results with other Internet2 partners.

“This new center complements our existing expertise in computer science and information security,” said Richard E. Ewing, vice president for research. “The center’s research also will provide opportunities for industry to explore new technologies related to VoIP.”

The center will report to the Office of the Vice President for Research and will be one of three centers bringing together researchers, faculty and students with interest in computer security, voice over IP and network engineering. The other two centers are the Integrative Center for Homeland Security and the Texas A&M University Network Engineering Lab. The Center for Information Assurance and Security, under the Integrative Center for Homeland Security, was recently designated as a National Security Agency Center of Excellence for Information Security Education.

“The Internet2 Test and Evaluation Center leverages Texas A&M University leadership in the quickly developing area of Voice over IP,” said Douglas Van Houweling, president and CEO of Internet2.  “The TAMU ITEC will support the Internet2 community’s efforts to develop, secure, and deploy VoIP capabilities that leverage the increasingly pervasive high-performance networking environment.”

The agreement was signed as a part of Texas A&M’s Internet2 Day.

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About Internet2(R)
Led by more than 200 U.S. universities working with industry and government, Internet2 develops and deploys advanced network applications and technologies for research and higher education, accelerating the creation of tomorrow’s Internet.  Internet2 recreates the partnerships among academia, industry, and government that helped foster today’s Internet in its infancy.  For more information, visit: www.internet2.edu.

CONTACT:
Tiffany Inbody
Texas A&M University
979.847.9364
tinbody@tamu.edu