The Department of Education (ED or Department) Chief Information Officer (CIO) has established the requirement for all ED Information Technology (IT) devices, systems, and networks to comply with the federal mandate to transition to native Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). IPv6 is the latest version of the Internet Protocol, the communication protocol that provides identification and location services for devices on networks and routes traffic across the Internet. The IPv6 protocol provides packet efficiency, improved performance, and increased security. The CIO has designated the Office of the CIO (OCIO), Director of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) as the lead for the Department’s IPv6 integrated project team (IPT) to coordinate actions identified in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum 21-07 (M-21-07), Completing the Transition to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6). The IPT is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the Department’s overall IPv6 transition plan, which will include Principal Operating Component (POC) strategies, processes, status updates, and milestones.

This applies to all devices, systems, and networks supporting the Department’s IT enterprise, including all IT systems owned or contracted to support the Department’s mission.

In accordance with OMB M-21-07, by fiscal year (FY) 2023, all new Department IT systems must be IPv6-enabled at the time of deployment and authorization. It is the strategic intent of the Department to phase out the use of Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) for all current IT systems as soon as practicable. The Department intends to accomplish the milestones laid out by OMB M-21-07 to ensure at least 80% of IP-enabled devices in the ED enterprise environment are operating an IPv6-only configuration by the end of FY 2025.

Send Questions or Comments to OCIO@ed.gov