If you're wondering what to do about IPv6 - a long anticipated upgrade to the Internet's main communications protocol - consider the case of the Social Security Administration.

SSA has been working with IPv6 since 2001, when the agency first recognized that IPv6 was an emerging technology that would likely end up on its network. Since then, SSA has participated in IPv6 testbeds, analyzed the technology in its labs and started training 150 network engineers. With an IPv6 deployment plan in hand (see last week's newsletter), SSA is way ahead of the curve when it comes to IPv6 adoption.

IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses that can support a virtually unlimited number of computers and devices connected directly to the Internet. IPv4, on the other hand, uses 32-bit addresses and can support approximately 4 billion systems. IPv6 also offers built-in features such as security via IPsec, easier administration and improved quality of service that were added to IPv4 over the years.

I interviewed Rich Terzigni, senior advisor in SSA's Office of Telecommunications and Systems Operations. Here is his advice to other IT executives about getting ready for IPv6:

1. Clean up your IPv4 network.

SSA manages and controls its network infrastructure including IP addressing from a single, central location. SSA also uses many new features that were added to IPv4 over the years, including IPsec encryption, quality of service and bandwidth management. SSA officials say this approach is making migration to IPv6 easier.

"By tuning and flattening and adding features and functions to your current IPv4 network and getting it to the state-of-the-art, you're doing a lot of the work required for IPv6 ahead of the time," Terzigni says.

2. Modernize your IPv4 network.

SSA regularly upgrades its network infrastructure to stay current with the latest technology. SSA has an all-IP network that supports Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). SSA has a converged infrastructure, with voice, video and data moving over a single network. SSA is currently upgrading its 1,500 locations to support VoIP. Having up-to-date network hardware and software makes it easier for SSA to handle any kind of upgrade, whether it's VoIP or IPv6.

"We have been refreshing our hardware to take advantage of the new features and functions of IPv6," Terzigni says. "To us, it's just another evolution. We're not embracing this as a revolution."