Approximately two years ago, we began an adventure to create a new asset and competitive economic differentiator for the State of Idaho.  The dream was to pool our individual ingenuity and networking investments for the benefit of everyone.  The vision was to create a high-speed, cost-effective research and education fiber optic computer network infrastructure across Idaho, for Idaho.  The collaboration and teamwork that transpired across Idaho’s universities, research laboratories, state government, and the health care industry was nothing short of remarkable.  Idaho’s Regional Optical Network (IRON) is an excellent example of our ability to work together at a grassroots level to make a difference. 

Today, IRON is a reality for Idaho offering economical high-speed bandwidth to research, education, state government, and health care through a not-for-profit corporation.  IRON’s backbone does not yet cover all of Idaho, but it will.  The current backbone (for the first time) connects northern, southwestern, and southeastern Idaho to the IRON GigaPoP in Boise.   Those with regional access to IRON’s backbone through local providers now have very fast access to the National Lambda Rail; connecting Idaho to the digital world with speeds most of us did not have access to, or could not afford.

Additionally, IRON is Idaho’s common voice to the Regional Optical Networking Community throughout the United States via memberships in such organizations as Quilt and the Northern Tier Networking Consortium, and Internet II.  Our goal is to also become the common voice for networking in Idaho as an independent leader that is not motivated by profit or any single organization’s parochial interests.  Together, with participation across the State, we have proven that we can accomplish more as a team than we can individually.

As participation in IRON continues to expand, our high-speed backbone footprint will grow and the economic benefit to you and to all of Idaho will also grow.  If your organization falls under the IRON Charter, you need cost-effective, high-speed bandwidth, and you want to be a member of a highly professional results-oriented team complete our General Associates Application — join the adventure to make a difference in your organization and in Idaho’s future!

Brent J. Stacey
President, IRON

Lighting Idaho’s Future