Our Mission
IRON’s Charter Associates own and operate a dedicated high-speed fiber optic network infrastructure to support Idaho’s unique research, health care, education and government needs. The IRON network is Idaho’s dedicated connection to other research and education networks throughout the United States and around the world. IRON’s Associates own, not just rent the bandwidth they need to partner in important statewide initiatives as well as large-scale, global research projects. A high-speed network makes innovation and discovery faster and more efficient so that more Idahoans can have greater access to world-class opportunities and grow our economy. IRON’s purpose-built network addresses Idaho’s ever-growing demand for dedicated high-speed fiber optic connectivity.
Our Charter
Established in 2007, The Idaho Regional Optical Network (IRON) will facilitate advanced networking among institutions in Idaho and the Northern Tier States. Participants include institutions of research, education, health care, state government, and partner organizations that support research, education, and economic development in Idaho and the States of the Northern Tier. The goals of IRON are to:
- Become a common voice that fosters advanced networking in support of research, health care, and education in Idaho and the Northern Tier States
- Share intellectual capital and material resources to further the development and delivery of advanced network services and applications to our communities
- Aggregate services to benefit from economies of scale
- Encourage collaboration among participating institutions and our respective academic communities.
- Consolidate regional representation of our interests to the larger national and international community
- Collaborate with other organizations pursuing advanced networking
