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Internet infrastructure refers to the physical systems that provide internet communication. It include
networking cable
Networking cable is a piece of networking hardware used to connect one network device to other network devices or to connect two or more computers to share devices such as printer (computing), printers or Image scanner, scanners. Different types o ...
s,
cellular towers,
servers,
internet exchange point
Internet exchange points (IXes or IXPs) are common grounds of Internet Protocol, IP networking, allowing participant Internet service provider, Internet service providers (ISPs) to exchange data destined for their respective networks. IXPs are ...
s,
data center
A data center is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems.
Since IT operations are crucial for busines ...
s, and individual
computers
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ('' computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', ...
.
Background
Several studies and events have helped to define the scope of critical Internet infrastructure. In August 2013, Internet infrastructure experts including Yuval Shavitt,
Bill Woodcock, Rossella Mattioli, Thomas Haeberlen, Ethan Katz-Bassett and Roland Dobbins convened for six days at
Schloss Dagstuhl to refine the academic and policy understanding of critical Internet infrastructure, producing a number of papers in the process.
In 2017, the
Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace
The Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace was a multistakeholder Internet governance organization, dedicated to the creation of Legal norm, diplomatic norms of Westphalian sovereignty, governmental Non-aggression principle, non-aggres ...
undertook a global survey of Internet infrastructure experts in order to assess the degree of consensus on what constituted critical Internet infrastructure, producing a ''
Definition of the Public Core'' which has since been used by the
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...
and others as a standardized description of the principal elements of Internet critical infrastructure.
In addition to these globally-applicable findings, nationally-specific definitions have been made by individual governments, for example by the US
Government Accountability Office
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the s ...
in 2006
and the US
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
in 2013.
GCSC definition
The report of the GCSC Critical Infrastructure Assessment Working Group has summarized the results of their survey in a comprehensive definition of Critical Internet infrastructure, which includes the following elements:
* Packet routing and forwarding
* Naming and numbering systems
* Security and identity protection
* Physical transmission media
See also
*
Critical infrastructure
Critical infrastructure, or critical national infrastructure (CNI) in the UK, describes infrastructure considered essential by governments for the functioning of a society and economy and deserving of special protection for national security. ...
*
Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace
The Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace was a multistakeholder Internet governance organization, dedicated to the creation of Legal norm, diplomatic norms of Westphalian sovereignty, governmental Non-aggression principle, non-aggres ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Digital Watch - Infrastructure
Internet terminology
Internet architecture