Australian IPv6 Readiness: Results of a National Survey

Abstract

IPv6 is the replacement for the Internet’s incumbent protocol, IPv4. Although exhaustion of the IPv4 address space is now imminent there has been no meaningful uptake of IPv6 since its standardisation in 1998. Data from a national survey of the top 1,000 IT user organisations in Australia are analysed, revealing that they have made little or no preparation for IPv6. This creates the potential for considerable disadvantage for Australian organisations. The author recommends that governments and regulatory bodies should consider regulatory or policy action to encourage the diffusion of IPv6. The author also recommends that enterprise organisations develop a long-term IPv6 strategy, implement IPv6 training programs, update their policy frameworks, and assess their IT assets and applications portfolios.