Alabama State University News May 24, 2018 ASU Joins Montgomery Internet Exchange Alabama State University's membership in the Montgomery Internet Exchange will greatly enhance the University's technological capabilities. ****** Alabama State University has joined a list of technology leaders, broadband service providers and innovators connected to the Montgomery Internet Exchange (Exchange) amid its restructure into a private sector, nonprofit entity, which unleashes great and enhanced technological and economic potential for its members. At a news conference held on May 24, ASU President Dr. Quinton T. Ross, Jr. was joined by Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange, Judge Charles Price (chairman, Greater Montgomery Chamber of Commerce), Montgomery County Commission Vice-Chairwoman Ronda M. Walker (District 3) and others as Ross laid out why the Exchange is important to the University. "ASU has joined the Montgomery Internet Exchange because of the primary mission we focus on here at this university, which is to do all we can to benefit our students, and to expand the reach of its intellectual knowledge for those who both study and work here at our 150 year-old institution of higher learning," Ross said. "This is indeed the future of higher educational learning and Alabama State University is both on top of it and committed to it," he added. High-tech experts speaking at the news conference said that membership in the Exchange can mean blazing-fast Internet speeds, cutting-edge security and enhanced connectivity that will foster the potential for advanced research capabilities, which will allow ASU to move at the same speed as the nation's other top-tier research universities and institutions. It can also lead to lower operations costs and superior bandwidth. For ASU, connecting to the Exchange solidifies the University's commitment to moving faculty and students light-years ahead with the help of modern technology that is enhanced by joining the Exchange, which is Alabama's only digital data hub capable of handling the transfer of 100 gigabytes of information per second. Ross said the Exchange reminds him that the state of education, and almost every aspect of today's modern society, has greatly changed since he was a student at Alabama State University. "The world has evolved from the Earth's vast geography that separated us in our parent's day; to an ever-shrinking, closely connected 'world village,' that is primarily because of the Internet and all of the new technology and social media, which is driving modern society, industry and education alike from this point onward," Ross said. Located in the Retirement Systems of Alabama's Dexter Avenue data center in downtown Montgomery, the Exchange is an open entity led by a visionary collaboration among the City of Montgomery, Montgomery County, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, research universities, Maxwell-Gunter U.S. Air Force Base and the Cyber College of the U. S. Air Force. It came online in 2016 as the first internet exchange point in Alabama, and one of only four in the Southeast. Montgomery's mayor said that the Exchange will not only help ASU accomplish greater things, but will also vastly enhance the Montgomery area in terms of attracting and retaining important businesses and industries in the area. "We cannot overstate its role in expanding industry in the River Region and across the state by putting Montgomery on the map - literally - of the Internet's backbone, while providing the infrastructure needed to attract new businesses, industries and opportunities that cultivate growth in our burgeoning tech sector," Strange said. "Whether you're streaming entertainment, collaborating with other businesses or uploading large amounts of information, you're getting the best speeds and most secure network in the state, which is thanks to the Montgomery Internet Exchange." President Ross said that ASU joined the Exchange to move the University forward, as well as to also contribute to its expansion, and to assist with the strengthening of the Montgomery Internet Exchange's foundation, so all here may grow together. "This will allow ASU to be able to interact in mere "nano-seconds" in a way never before imaged with all of the outstanding research universities and institutions across the very globe, which bodes well for our students and for the future of our University," Ross said. Learn more about the Exchange's members and capabilities at www.mgmix.net SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/