The US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration’s Emergency Communications Network has been shifted to Switch’s Las Vegas data center. This shift provides a new technological capability to exchange secure real-time voice, data, and video information during nuclear or radiological emergencies.
A highly secure cyber-environment
The Emergency Communications Network (ECN) that provides emergency response personnel an encrypted, dedicated network and improve their ability to communicate with internal and external partners is hosted at Switch in Las Vegas.
NNSA Administrator and DOE Under Secretary for Nuclear Security Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty unveiled of the ECN while visiting the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). She said,
“Our emergency responders deserve the fastest and most reliable communications available to effectively respond to nuclear or radiological incidents or accidents. As a steward of American taxpayer dollars, I am strongly in favor of spending less money on NNSA data storage and operations, while retaining a highly secure cyber-environment.”
The ECN will enhance the ability of emergency responders to effectively manage situations that involve NNSA assets and interests including radiation detection and analysis, geographic information systems maps, data telemetry, and nuclear/radiological detection applications, among other response tools.
According to the announcement, the ECN data center migration project is estimated to cost $7.8 million and was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.