What it is
The current version of the Internet Protocol
IPv6 replaces IPv4 with 128-bit addresses — enough globally-unique, non-overlapping addresses for any imaginable IT environment, with no need for NAT.
IPv6 is now the most-used Internet Protocol. When is the timing right for your organization?
IPv6 has surpassed IPv4 as the most-used Internet Protocol. For most enterprises the question is no longer whether to deploy it, but when — and how much effort it will take. This free guide answers both.
- How to size the IPv6 effort with a work breakdown structure and quarterly schedule.
- Why 5% of staff time is too little, 20% is too much, and 10% is just right.
- The evidence IPv6 has already overtaken IPv4 — and the deadlines arriving in 2030 and 2032.
50%of devices reaching Google now use IPv6
30+countries where IPv6 usage exceeds IPv4
8pages, read in 15 minutes
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CCIE #5133 (Emeritus)
CISSP #4610
RMv6TF Chair Emeritus
Cisco Press Author
30+ years network & security
IPv6 in 60 seconds
Checking your own IPv6 is the easy part. The harder question is your organization's.
Most people land here after searching for an IPv6 test, their IPv6 address, or just ‘IPv6’. Here is the short version of what it is and why it matters — and then the question nearly every enterprise network team ends up asking: not whether to deploy it, but when.
What an address looks like
2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334
Eight groups of hexadecimal separated by colons, with runs of zeros collapsed to ‘::’. If your check above showed one, that is your public IPv6 address.
Who is using it
Half the Internet, and growing about 4% a year
Roughly half of the ~4 billion devices reaching Google use IPv6. More than 30 countries already see more IPv6 traffic than IPv4.
Why enterprises care
Faster, simpler, and no longer optional
Less latency without NAT, better security visibility, and a transition with no IPv7 behind it. Germany targets 2030; the Czech Republic plans to disable IPv4 on government services by 2032.
Your device may already be on IPv6. Your enterprise network probably isn't yet. The guide is about closing that gap on a schedule your teams can live with.
Get the free guideWhat is inside the guide
The IPv6 timing conversation, the way it actually unfolds
An architect reads about IPv6, brings it to leadership, and the question that follows is rarely whether to deploy it — it's when. The guide walks through the benefits, the evidence that the shift is already here, the phases of a real deployment, and how to size the effort so the timing is right for your organization.
01 · The case
The Benefits of IPv6
Measurable performance gains without NAT, and globally-unique addresses for any imaginable IT environment.
02 · The evidence
IPv6 Internet Usage Is Already Here
IPv6 has surpassed IPv4 to become the most popular Internet Protocol, with the Google and APNIC numbers behind it.
03 · The reality
IPv6 Is Inevitable
There is no IPv7 on the horizon. With the Internet past 50% IPv6, we are in the late majority stage of adoption.
04 · The roadmap
The Enterprise IPv6 Adoption Journey
The phases most enterprises follow, the RFC 7381 guidance, and why IPv6 must be an officially recognized program.
05 · The numbers
Estimating the Level of Effort
A sample 12-quarter work breakdown structure: 1,533 days, 12,264 staff hours, and the OPEX estimate behind it.
06 · The sweet spot
Choosing Your Level of Effort
5%, 10% or 20% of staff time — what each means per person, per year, and for your finish date.
07 · In summary
Don't Delay the Inevitable
Start right away, make progress, and interleave IPv6 with your other projects.
From the guide
Three levels of effort, one that is just right
Thirty IT staff, a 12,264-hour work breakdown structure, and three ways to pace it. The guide shows how each choice changes the finish date — and what the Internet will look like when you get there.
5%
Too little
2 hrs/week · finishes ≈ 2031
10%
Just right
4 hrs/week · finishes in ~2 years
20%
Too much
1 day/week · ~1 year, competing work
