You are a well-known expert in the design and security of corporate network infrastructures. As such, Z Corporation, Inc. (ZCorp) has contacted you requesting a proposal for a network infrastructure integration design.

ZCorp is a global financial institution that intends to add Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) to its existing network. The headquarters of ZCorp is in Denver, CO, and it has main offices in Sydney, Australia; Vienna, Austria; Tokyo, Japan; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Local routers are providing network services such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), network address translation (NAT), and Domain Name System (DNS). It is using Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) as its interior gateway protocol and Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP) as its exterior gateway protocol. Its wide area network (WAN) involves multiple T3 connections and the use of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). It is unclear to the ZCorp information technology (IT) staff whether they should replace Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) with IPv6 or use both versions of IP (dual-stack operation).

Your mission is to prepare a proposal document that makes a recommendation for either replacing IPv4 with IPv6 or using both versions of IP. This recommendation must be supported and explained in detail. Research IPv4 and IPv6 to understand differences, benefits, and challenges. Seek information regarding LANs implementing dual protocol stacks. Make a recommendation for: a) replacing IPv4 with IPv6 and b) using IPv4 and IPv6 together (dual-stack operation). Support your recommendations.

Your proposal should specify a phased approach for your recommendation. You should include the following considerations in your document:

• List and explain 5 of most significant changes of IPv6 over IPv4
• Benefits of implementing IPv6, especially in the area of security
• Potential issues and concerns with IPv6
• Whether or not to continue the use of network services with IPv6
• Necessary changes to existing hardware with IPv6
• Other resource factors
• High-level set of steps to implement your recommendation, including IP addressing scheme

Your proposal should be an APA Word document of 3–5 body pages plus a title page and a reference page. Refer to the APA Style Guide found in the Library for further information.