CENIC and Link Oregon have announced a newly forged unique regional partnership to share resources and expertise in delivering enhanced high-speed network connectivity to benefit research, education, and other public and non-profit sector service organizations across California and Oregon. [Read the full news release.]

CENIC is initiating a pilot project to explore regional adoption of Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS), a global initiative to make the Internet more secure. Those who join MANRS agree to apply best practices, that when taken by all users, dramatically improve the resilience and security of the Internet routing infrastructure.

MANRS is supported by the Internet Society, an international nonprofit dedicated to the open development, use, and evolution of the Internet. More than 30 research and education networks worldwide have already adopted MANRS, including Internet2, the US research and education (R&E) consortium. Industry giants such as Google and Microsoft also participate. [Read more on the CENIC Blog…]

Ray Barghi is now the Executive Director of Maryland Research and Education Network. In this role, he is focused on providing leadership to create business value through leveraging human connectivity, ‘Smart Network’, and above/beyond Network services to accomplish stakeholder success.

Ray Barghi has extensive experience in multiple industries including Information Technology, Higher Ed, and Telecom.

Prior to his new role as Executive Director of MDREN, he served as CTO for SPUG, where he provided leadership, direction, and consulting for a growing global organization of 40+ service providers in Digital Transformation, Big Data Analytics, AI, and Cybersecurity.

Previously, he served as Chief Information Officer for Baltimore City College and focused on student success and workforce development. He led Digital and Service Transformation including Cloud migration and implementation of new enterprise applications.

Ray also worked as the Chief Information, Product, and Technology Officer for Huawei, a global Fortune 100 company, responsible for Network Transformation, Cloud Computing, Big Data Analytics, and IoT. He led a global team and played a critical role in developing innovative products and significantly reducing cost.

Earlier he joined Nextel as Director of Technology Development and held a variety of positions with Nextel and Sprint Nextel, where he successfully developed and launched major programs.

Prior to Nextel, Ray was with Ericsson where he held a number of key positions and most recently served as the Director of Technology Development for mobile and Internet products. He was instrumental in championing end-to-end solutions and partnerships.

Ray Barghi holds a B.S., M.S., and PhD in Electrical Engineering from University of Oklahoma where he also served as a member of faculty, lectured and conducted research in Computer and Electrical Engineering.