DII-Network Engineering? I'm looking for the GOVnet staff.

DII-Network Engineering administers the State of Vermont's wide area network (WAN) also known as GOVnet.

What is a WAN?

A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a network spanning a wide geographic area. It incorporates different types of
transport systems and it is always under construction!

Why does the State need a WAN? / How is a WAN different than an ISP (Internet Service Provider)?

GOVnet was implemented to meet the twofold network challenge of improved access with reduced costs. Current policy says all data services/WAN services for state agencies must be provided via GOVnet. This policy requirement enables the State buying power to obtain good prices.

We provide a lot more than just Internet access!  The network provides for complete inter-agency and inter-departmental information access through a single system serving all agencies on a cooperative basis. This eliminates the need for each agency or department to provide redundant networks involving duplicate costs.  Please see our Services page for more details.

I can't find the legislation that created GOVnet or how it came to be part of DII?

GOVnet was created within Act No. 185 of the Acts of 1996, the Capital Construction Bill.  For more information about the early history of GOVnet, please see the 1997 GOVnet System Evaluation and Network Study.

We became part of the Department of Information & Innovation with the creation of the department in July of 2003. (See 22 V.S.A § 901)

I think I'm having network issues and I doubt your staff is in the office at this late hour.  How do I contact you?

The WAN operates 7 days a week, 24 hours per day.  Recorded information regarding system status is always available at 802-828-5600. 

For reporting network problems during normal working hours and after hours, you may follow the prompts provided by the status line, or call 802-828-2200 (If you get voicemail, leave a message. The line is monitored.)

We have a staff member on standby beginning at 6am and ending at 10pm, Monday through Friday and 6am to 8pm Sat and Sunday to attend to after-hours emergencies

I need to provide you with some sensitive information or request a specific password.  Is it safe to put that in a Footprints ticket?

No, it is not.  If you need to communicate sensitive data with us, please simply state in the ticket that you need the network staff to contact you.  Alternatively, use SMIME/PGP/GnuGP to encrypt your data to one of our public keys and paste that into the ticket.

I need the Network Engineering staff to perform some on-site maintenance. What are your service call hours?

Scheduled on-site maintenance (software and hardware) for all equipment will dispatch between the hours of 7:45 am and 4:30pm, Monday through Friday.  

I can't spare the down time.  Can't we schedule this outside of your normal working hours?

Possibly.  However, if an Agency chooses to initiate a request for services outside normal working hours, they may be billed for the hours.

What about major maintenance of your core infrastructure?  Do you do that during regular business hours? 

No.  We try to avoid making wide-scale disruptive changes during regular business hours.  We have a weekly after hours maintenance window and from time to time schedule additional maintenance windows.

If you'd like to be informed of the current schedule, please send a subscription request to announce-request@govnet.state.vt.us or visit our mailing list directory.

Subscription is moderated.  Requests from non-state employees will not be honored.  If you are a vendor potentially impacted by our service schedule, please have your State customer contact us to make the request on your behalf.

I'm not sure you're the person to talk to but... (or, Who are you people and who does what over there?) 

Please meet the network staff and learn a little about our areas of expertise on our Team Contacts page.