What Is IPv6?
IPv6 is short for Internet Protocol version 6. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, the Internet Protocol is the communications protocol that makes it possible for computer networks to exchange packets via the use of routers, thus resulting in what is called the Internet. However, it is interesting to note that the adoption of IPv6 continues at a snail’s pace even though it saw its worldwide launch on June 6 of 2012.
Why Should You Consider Switching Over to IPv6?
One of the main reasons that IPv6 is being pushed as a replacement for its predecessor IPv4 is because it supports more IP addresses. In brief, IPv6 supports 2128 IP addresses because its IP addresses are 128 bits in length, whereas IPv4 supports 232 IP addresses because its IP addresses are 32 bits in length. This is a serious problem because 232 is 4,294,967,296, which is far from being enough for the 50 billion devices that Cisco has predicted will be connected to the Internet by 2020. Something that is not helped by the Internet of Things that is seeing more and more devices connected to the Internet for the purpose of providing their users with better results than otherwise possible.
However, it is important to note that IPv6 has other benefits compared to its predecessor as well. For example, it provides better performance through a number of critical changes such as how it no longer calculates checksum with each router hop. Furthermore, IPv6 is more secure than IPv4 for the simple reason that its predecessor was never designed with cybersecurity in mind, meaning that IPv4 adopters can count on having additional protection for their computer networks. Summed up, it is clear that the adoption of IPv6 can provide important benefits to Ottawa businesses that choose to implement it either on their own or with the help of service providers that specialize in providing managed network services and other forms of Ottawa network support.
Should You Switch to IPv6?
With that said, seeing as how IPv6 is being adopted at a snail’s pace, it should come as no surprise to learn that there are reasons that behind said pace. For example, IPv6 was not designed to be backwards compatible, meaning that additional arrangements have to be made by Ottawa businesses for their IPv6-based computer networks to be compatible with both IPv4 and IPv6-based computer networks. Something that could force even the best of them to call for help from service providers that offer Ottawa network support such as managed network services. Furthermore, adopting IPv6 means updating a great deal of both hardware and software, thus making it a complicated, expensive, and time-consuming process even when Ottawa businesses are making use of managed network services as well as other forms of Ottawa network support from their service providers of choice. As a result, adopting IPv6 is sometimes just not worth it for businesses from an economic perspective.
Still, it should be noted that the adoption of IPv6 seems to be speeding up, which makes sense because more parties making the switch encourages other parties to make the switch as well. As a result, Ottawa businesses should start consulting specialists that offer managed network services as well as other forms of Ottawa network support for help in coming up with a plan for adopting IPv6 when the chance presents itself.
