INTERCONNECTS

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Internet2 today announced that Ford Motor Company has joined Internet2 as a corporate sponsor. Ford will work with other members of the university-led networking research and development consortium to explore advanced network applications and technologies. "Working with high-performance networking as part of the Internet2 community will allow us to discover new and better ways for people to push the envelope of technology and design," said George Surdu, Director, e-Infrastructure and Network Services of Ford Motor Company. "The collaborations we undertake will provide Ford insight about how to make the most of the global Internet of the future." "We are extremely pleased that Ford has joined the Internet2 community," said Douglas Van Houweling, President and CEO of Internet2. "Ford's use of advanced networking will deepen the understanding of how new network applications can be used effectively by large organizations and will accelerate important collaborations between industry and academia." In an initial collaboration, Ford will work with the University of Michigan Business School to deploy and enhance advanced network applications, such as multi-site TV-quality videoconferencing to improve work among teams at locations around the world, as a base for learning how such initiatives can be utilized to improve an organization's products and services. "We are delighted to be partnered with Ford and Internet2 in this cutting-edge learning," said University of Michigan Business School Professor, Noel M. Tichy, who will be leading the research at the UM. "The UM BS has a rich heritage in partnering with Ford and we believe the fruits of this effort will pioneer valuable uses of the next generation Internet for us and for others." Led by over 180 US universities, working with industry and government, Internet2 is developing and deploying advanced network applications and technologies for research and higher education, accelerating the creation of tomorrow's Internet. Internet2 recreates the partnership of academia, industry and government that helped foster today's Internet in its infancy. For more information about Internet2, see: www.internet2.edu/