January ICN News and Updates

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News from the

Iowa Communications Network

icn.iowa.gov

January 2024

News & Updates

ICN Connections Used to Broadcast Iowa Caucuses Worldwide

The ICN provided temporary services at several locations on the Capitol Complex, in Des Moines, to connect national media during the 2024 Iowa Caucuses.

We handled requests from a range of state government agencies in the weeks preceding the Iowa Caucus. The most requested service included multiple 1 Gb Internet connections, which were used by NBC (located at the State Historical Building), ABC (located at the State parking garage), and CNN (located at the State Judicial Building). The connections were used in a variety of ways, including streaming video, updating social media, and instantaneous network office communications.

Read our full article

What Have Our SYBAC Students Been Hearing About?

In December our SYBAC students met with Microsoft. Their discussion covered information about their data centers right here in Iowa, how cloud computing is used today, and the careers and internships that are available in this specific field. They also shared what innovation looked like to them.

In January our speaker was Kyle Kuhlers, a Waterloo educator who also works with the Waterloo Career Center and coaches the Cyber Defense team. The students logged in during their snow day and had time to explore the educational resources and instructional games he brought to the meeting. The students also learned a lot more about preparing for a future career in high school, cybersecurity challenges, and how curiosity builds confidence.

SYBAC student Brandon from the Council Bluffs Community School District, is optimistic about the future of practical AI.

Brandon explains that he is "excited about the advancements in the medical field. They are making our world better with all the preventative, diagnostic, and surgical procedures benefitting from it. For instance, AI's advancement in reviewing scans and being able to detect certain cancers sooner and with more accuracy."

Congrats Kaden from the Riceville Community School District!

Kaden finished his SYBAC community service project. He taught elementary students about the importance of being cybersafe. He talked about what we can do to increase cybersecurity and how it protects us in many ways. He included tips about using social media and being safe on the internet. Awesome job, Kaden!

Data Privacy Week - January 21 - 27, 2024

YOUR DATA IS VALUABLE.

You have the power to take charge of your data. The National Cybersecurity Alliance has resources and guides available to help spread awareness about online privacy.

Learn What is Data Privacy?
How to Manage Your Privacy Settings.
Read a guide on how to maintain, track, and protect your online privacy when using websites and apps.

Learn more about Data Privacy

Highlighted Service Benefit

Colocation: Keeping your Systems Secure

As data and capacity needs continue to grow at a record pace, organizations are turning to Colocation services when they are unable to build and sustain a suitable onsite location for their specialized hardware.

There are several benefits to our colocation:

Decreased Maintenance Costs
Increased Security
Better Power
Higher Bandwidth Availability

Find out more by reading the benefits of our Colocation service.

It’s E-Rate Season for our K-12 Education & Library Users!

Here are the key dates for the filing period, and don't forget to apply early!

Form 471 filing window opens Jan 17 – Mar 27
Last day to file Form 470 is Feb 28

Read about what ICN services qualify for E-Rate.

Internet2 News for K-12 Educators

We encourage our educators to sign up for the 2024 Presidential Primary Sources Project (PPSP) sessions featuring interactive discussions with experts and using primary source documents to examine our nation’s presidential legacies.
You can register for any and all programs listed on the website.

All programs are live at 11 a.m. ET and 2 p.m. ET. Register Today!

Register Today!

Iowa Communications Network (ICN) is Iowa’s only authorized Research & Education Network giving our education customers exclusive access to Internet2 services.

Deadline Extended! Calling K-12 Teachers and School Librarians to Apply for the Internet2 CAP Distance Learning Scholarship Program

The Internet2 Community Anchor Program (CAP) has launched its fourth annual distance learning scholarship program intended to give K-12 teachers and school librarians free, one-on-one distance learning programs for their students through the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC).

Any teacher or school librarian from a K-12 school that is connected to Internet2 via a state or regional research and education network can apply for a scholarship to pay for a one-on-one distance learning experience from the CILC.

➜ Apply today: https://bit.ly/capscholarship2024.

Scholarship Notes:

The last day to submit an application is Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024.
Internet2 will independently verify your school’s connection.

Highlights from Social Media

ICN's Presentation to the
Iowa Senate Technology Committee

On January 17, ICN’s Interim Executive Director Mark Johnson presented to the Iowa Senate Technology Committee. The presentation highlighted the Network and the technology in Iowa. The information included ICN facts, misperceptions related to the Network, customer initiatives, network security, student engagement efforts, and more.

Watch the full presentation.

ICN Names CFO

We are thrilled to announce Patricia Townsend as our new CFO. Patricia is joining our executive leadership team and brings prior financial and accounting expertise to the ICN. She will oversee the agency division and provide financial strategies and fiscal practices.

Congratulations Patricia!