CENIC Preparedness for COVID-19

As the global COVID-19 outbreak continues to unfold, CENIC is prepared to maintain connectivity, ensure the operation of the CENIC Network Operations Center, and continue to serve its members.

We are keeping our staff healthy and safe.

CENIC staff has transitioned to remote work, according to CENIC’s Business Continuity Plan, which includes contingencies for a pandemic. The shift has gone smoothly. We have implemented remote solutions for business operations including shipping, phones, and virtual private networks, and we continue to coordinate with the many telecommunications companies who are our partners.

We are maintaining our network infrastructure and services.

CENIC engineers continually monitor and assess network traffic levels and make adjustments as needed to ensure reliable operations. At this point, we do not anticipate any network issues. In case of any network emergency, the CENIC NOC should be contacted using the same escalation procedures that your networking leads would use for any issue.

We are providing resources for our community.

CENIC continues to track the COVID-19 situation and provide relevant updates. Most recently, we have prepared the “Home and Remote Broadband Access Strategies” resource. This robust, frequently updated document is packed with helpful information including assistance offers from Internet service providers; successful examples of community mesh networking; security awareness and recommendations; a list of institutions already offering public WiFI, hotspot lending, and mobile WiFi programs as well as technical resources for those interested in creating such programs; and immediate advocacy efforts to support broadband connectivity for un- and under-served communities.

In addition, we have compiled information on the below topics and will continue to update this page with resources for this changing environment.

• Home and Remote Broadband Access Strategies
• Blog: Understanding Network Impacts of Increased Online Learning
• Network Escalation Procedure
• California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington R&E Networks Support COVID-19 Western States Pact

Most importantly, all of us at CENIC hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe. Thank you for being part of the CENIC community. Working with you, we will persevere through these complicated times. For any additional questions, please contact us at cenicnews@cenic.org.