Burlington, Vermont has been chosen as one of only a handful of municipalities to be a US Ignite city (BTV Ignite). While it is a great honor, a lot of people are wondering what it all means for Burlington. And most importantly for us at Champlain: what does it mean for our school? And what does this have to do with the LCDI?
US Ignite works with its cities and commercial providers to improve existing infrastructure and provide 100+ GB data speeds within the city. Businesses, universities, and community members can then take advantage of the new data speeds to create new applications and grow their companies (US Ignite). Burlington hopes the new technology will allow the community to grow and flourish, as well as attract new companies and ventures.
With the improved data speeds that come with US Ignite, Champlain will have the ability to tap into resources previously unavailable to the college, such as Internet2. Additionally, students will be see faster internet speeds in their dorms and on campus, as well as have access to a larger number of online courses.
For the LCDI, US Ignite will mean greater possibilities to come up with CyberSecurity innovations. Once the infrastucture is updated, student workers at the LCDI will be able to take advantage of the high gigabit speeds by designing and implementing a unique digital forensics system(s) to benefit the community.
US Ignite will allow Burlington to enter a new era of digital communication, with Champlain and the LCDI leading the way to new advances for education and CyberSecurity. If you’re still unsure what it all means for you, head over to the US Ignite website and read about how it’s working in other cities and how it’s funded.
By Carolyn Cote (Technical Writer at the LCDI)