MAX Partners with ConnectArlington to Expand Network, Promote Economic Development

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLLEGE PARK, MD (May 16, 2016) – Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX), a multi-state optical transport network operated by the University of Maryland, and ConnectArlington, Arlington County’s government-owned fiber-optic network built with economic development in mind, today announced a strategic partnership that will bring additional advanced cyberinfrastructure resources to Northern Virginia’s research and education (R&E) community. Through this partnership, MAX will establish a terabit-capable point of presence (TeraPoP) in the heart of Arlington, Virginia, to stimulate economic growth and facilitate scientific discovery across the mid-Atlantic region.

The MAX network will extend to numerous federal agencies, research laboratories, and startup companies that call Arlington’s vibrant metropolitan community home. As a result, these organizations will be able to easily obtain MAX’s specialized cyberinfrastructure services, including access to Amazon Web Services (AWS) Direct Connect, a modern high-performance computing cluster, and on-net Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) transport services.

In addition, scientists and researchers will be able to gain extremely high-speed access to the larger national and global R&E network infrastructure, including multiple 100-Gbps connections to the Internet2 network and other high-performance wide area network infrastructures.

Through MAX and ConnectArlington’s combined effort, government laboratories and agencies will have convenient access to the cutting-edge technological resources necessary for conducting complex, data-driven research initiatives, which could ultimately lead to scientific breakthroughs.

“We are extremely pleased that ConnectArlington is partnering with MAX to make such a positive impact on the region’s digital future,” said Tripti Sinha, Executive Director of MAX and AVP/CTO of the University of Maryland’s Division of Information Technology. “Now more than ever, MAX is well-positioned to spur innovation and support businesses with our one-of-a-kind cyberinfrastructure services in a county that is very supportive of the R&E community. MAX is proud to join forces with such a strong technological ally.”

The agreement was formalized during Saturday’s Arlington County Board meeting, allowing MAX to establish the TeraPoP in a county facility, as well as gain access to ConnectArlington’s network.

“This exciting partnership with the University of Maryland will help us find new ways to use technology and data to better inform our decisions and transform the way we do business as a government,” Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey said. “These new capabilities also will help the County attract and retain those organizations that are engaged with MAX and those that want to be.”

With the launch of this TeraPoP, the MAX network footprint will have a total of 14 TeraPoPs spanning across Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

About Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX)

Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX) is a multi-state regional network led by the University of Maryland. MAX operates an all-optical, Layer 1 core network that is the foundation for a high-performance infrastructure providing state-of-the-art 100-Gbps network technology and services. MAX participants include universities, federal research labs, and other research-focused organizations in the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan areas. MAX serves as a connector and traffic aggregator to the Internet2 national backbone and peers with other major networks. Its mission is to provide cutting-edge network connectivity for its participants, tailored and generic data-transport solutions, and advanced services to accommodate and optimize large data flows and to facilitate network and application research. For more information about MAX and MAX services, please visit www.maxgigapop.net.

Media Contacts:

Karen Marcher, Administrative and Special Projects Coordinator, Advanced Cyberinfrastructure and Internet Global Services (ACIGS), Division of Information Technology, University of Maryland, 301.405.4428, kmarcher@umd.edu.

Shannon Whalen McDaniel, Communications Manager, Department of Technology Services, Arlington County Government, 703.228.3685, swhalenmcdaniel@arlingtonva.us.

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