A new highway, The Open Group advocates a more organized Internet

A group of open systems vendors and customers advocating the creation of a more robust Internet infrastructure has suggested that a second, parallel network with a renewed emphasis on security, interoperability and manageability may need to be built before businesses begin making the most of the technology.

This proposal comes from the Open Group, an international consortium of more than 200 vendors, manufacturers, and government and academic organizations. The group is promoting the concept of a reliable and robust infrastructure that provides flexibility, encourages innovation and, at the same time, follows industry standards.

This concept -- called by the Open Group the IT Dial-Tone -- is vitally needed before companies "are willing to accept the risk of committing anything remotely important, valuable or mission-critical onto the Internet," according to Joseph De Feo, the group's president and chief executive officer.

"Contrary to popular opinion, the Internet is no more secure or reliable now than it was a year ago," De Feo said. "In fact, as the volume of connections is being increased, the Net is becoming more unreliable. Although it presents tremendous economic opportunity and [contains] a number of useful tools, it is currently an ill-disciplined environment that has significant security problems associated with it." Because of that, few companies-particularly those in finance, health care and education -- are willing to post sensitive and vital data on the Internet, De Feo said. Adding to the concerns of businesses are the recent actions of some of the larger ISPs, including UUNet Technologies, that plan to end peering agreements with 12 smaller ISPs. Such an action would make it more difficult to negotiate the Internet.

To make the Internet or any other data network useful to business, the network needs to evolve in a managed, orderly fashion, unlike the somewhat haphazard manner in which the Internet has evolved.

De Feo compared the evolution of electronic commerce to airline travel. "Most people are now happy to use air travel on a routine basis," he said. "However, this is only because we rely on tested and agreed-upon procedures that pilots, air traffic controllers and airlines are legally required to adhere to.

Vendors, carriers and large users need a similar set of rules to ensure interoperability, he said. To achieve that level of end-to-end organization, the group developed the IT Dial-Tone concept. The concept is that of a ubiquitous, secure and easy-to-use information superhighway that is as reliable as the telephone network. "The core switching capability is the pivotal element that underpins our ability to address the key Internet requirements of connectivity, availability of service, privacy and security," De Feo said.

The need to evolve from the Internet to a fully commercial superhighway may present an opportunity for carriers to build a new infrastructure that meets business demands, a "second Internet" assembled with the IT Dial-Tone concept in mind. "It could very well play out that this new network is created. Businesses have seen the potential, thanks to the Internet. Now, they need to be presented with a network that allows them to reach that potential," DeFeo said.

While carriers volunteered to connect classrooms to the Internet for NetDay '97, teachers and scientists worked to put valuable lessons over those networks. The Jason Project, a distance-learning program aimed at making science come alive for young people, is marking its 8th year by broadcasting live expeditions over the World Wide Web.

Teams in Iceland and at Yellowstone National Park are showing on-line observers the ins and outs of geysers, volcanos, wild animals, frozen glaciers and boiling mudpots until May 9. Students at 27 primary interactive sites can ask questions, and others can watch and listen as the so-called Argonauts read seismographs, identify and compare rock formations, and track grizzly bears and wolf packs by studying their tracks, hair remnants and the carcasses of their prey. The home page is located at www.jasonproject.org/jason8.

The Jason Project, named after the Greek mythological character who reclaimed the Golden Fleece, embodies explorer Robert Ballard's goal of showing kids that science and technology can be exciting and accessible. Ballard, a member of the Yellowstone expedition, found the sunken Titanic in 1986 and started the project after he received 15,000 letters from kids who wanted to know every detail of his discovery. The teachers and students at Yellowstone and in Iceland are updating on-line journals of their activities each day during their 11-day stays.

The expeditions employ technology that ranges from remote probes that take readings inside the hot springs at Yellowstone to videoconferencing and microwave links that let scientists answer questions from students at the interactive sites. One of several specialists at Yellowstone is Jack Farmer of NASA's Ames Research Center, who is sampling some of the hot springs for bacterial growth so he can compare it with signs of life on Mars, said Jim Juech, an Argonaut and a fourth-grade teacher at a Saukville, Wis., elementary school. Another researcher is using a slow-motion camera to catch the takeoff, landing and wing movements of the dipper, a bird that flies near the Firehole River. The students can compare the findings with the Icelandic crew's research on the puffin.

The students also can zoom a remote camera onto Yellowstone's geyser basin so they can see differences between Old Faithful and the lesser-known Castle geyser.

"Our project operates year round and is constantly growing," said Scott Treibitz, president of Tricom Associates, the project's Arlington, Va.-based public relations firm.

The Federal Communications Commission is expected to issue a universal service order this week that promotes the Clinton administration's goal of connecting every school and library to the Internet by 2000.

Local market battle heats up MCI last week sued Southern New England Telecommunications in federal court for allegedly restricting customers from changing carriers. SNET said it is only protecting customers. MCI also filed a petition with the New York Public Service Commission for allegedly refusing to sign an interconnection agreement that would have enabled MCI to offer local service in New York. Nynex said it is continuing to negotiate.

Federal CONTRACT bidding goes binary AT&T last week announced BidAdvantage, an electronic messaging service that lets small and medium-sized companies comply more efficiently with government contract bidding guidelines. The service enables government suppliers to respond to government bid requests through electronic data interchange.