NIST Provides Guidelines for Securely Deploying IPv6

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The number of available IP addresses in Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is dwindling. Given the estimates that predict that addresses will be exhausted by 2012, the time is well nigh for companies to consider a transition strategy to IPv6.

But that may be looking too far ahead. Initially, most organizations will likely be running both protocols at the same time. So, in the short term, companies need to figure out how to deploy IPv6 securely on networks that are still using IPv4.

To address this need, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) created the Guidelines for the Secure Deployment of IPv6. As U.S. federal agencies have already been mandated to move to IPv6, this document, still in the public review stage, provides:

• Information about IPv6 features and their security impact
  
• A comprehensive survey of IPv6 deployment mechanisms
• Suggested deployment strategies transitioning to IPv6

Use these recommendations to prepare your company for operating in a mixed protocol environment while proactively looking ahead to an IPv6 future.

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