FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Move over Gig Cities: Montgomery’s Internet Exchange Soars to 100 Gig Status and Positions Capital City as Top Tech Hub
Montgomery, AL, June 7 – Less than 18 months ago, Montgomery became home to the State’s only internet exchange (MGMix). Today, Montgomery leaders announced an upgrade the capacity of the MGMix to handle 100 Gigabits per second of traffic. Other announcements included new developments and a Montgomery Cyber Strategy plan fueled by unprecedented collaboration among business, military, government and universities. The announcements include:
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MGMix is enhancing its capacity by the addition of a switch to handle 100 Gbps of traffic, placing it among the ranks of powerful exchanges and positioning it to attract peering partners that move large amounts of data like Amazon, Microsoft, Apple or Netflix.
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Auburn University at Montgomery has signed a peering agreement and is set to become the first University to join MGMix. For AUM, that means the potential for cost savings and more opportunities for large-scale collaborative research with other universities placing Montgomery at the center of data intensive research and innovation.
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CoWerx46, a developer-centered co-working space located at 46 Commerce Street, will officially open this month. The facility, which is positioned to anchor Montgomery’s emerging innovation district, will foster collaboration, creativity, and work for members of the technology labor force.
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Montgomery business leader Carl Barranco has been named cyber strategy coordinator, helping to further develop and manage the effort to leverage the MGMix to grow Montgomery’s cyber vertical as an economic development opportunity. Barranco has more than 50 years of experience in public accounting and has served in numerous leadership roles with various organizations, including past Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and the Committee of
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A Comprehensive Cyber Strategy will maximize the community’s technology talent pipeline, spur innovation and promote the city as an emerging technology hub. By building on the unique resources that are unparalleled in other communities, a powerful collaboration between local and state government, the business community, educational entities, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Department of Defense partners has allowed Montgomery to significantly strengthen the
MGMix, explore open data and smart city-smart base initiatives, set the cornerstone of an innovation district with CoWerx46, and become widely recognized for hosting the annual Air Force Information Technology Conference, one of the nation’s leading technology conferences.
“A 100 Gig Montgomery Internet Exchange is a game-changer for Montgomery’s Cyber Strategy. Nowhere else will businesses find such speed, and thanks to Akamai and the RSA Data Center, such security, in a competitively priced business environment where the technology workforce is being steadily reinforced with training and development,” said Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange.
“Partnership is at the heart of our strategy. We are excited about how government and business working together with our technology partners is making Montgomery stand out as an emerging tech hub,” said Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton Dean.
For more information on the Montgomery Internet Exchange visit www.mgmix.net.
For more information on Montgomery’s Technology Resources visit www.techmgm.com.
For more information on the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce visit www.montgomerychamber.com or find us on FaceBook.
CONTACT:
Meg Lewis
Office: 334-261-1104
Cell: 334-312-2007
mlewis@montgomerychamber.com
www.montgomerychamber.com
Committed to exceptional service, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce works to improve the economic well being of the business community and enhance the quality of life of the area through the creation and preservation of jobs.
