Information and Communications Infrastructure Confidential Presidential Working Paper August 17, 2007 Copyright © 2007 Virginia Tech PRESIDENTIAL WORKING PAPER: TELECOMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP Table of Contents Executive Summary _____________________________________________________ 1 Principal Findings __________________________________________________________ 1 Principal Recommendations __________________________________________________ 3 1 Introduction _______________________________________________________ 5 2 Report Goals _______________________________________________________ 6 3 Methodology and Report Structure _____________________________________ 7 4 Summary Findings __________________________________________________ 9 4.1 Communications Infrastructure and Information Technology Supporting Response and Recovery (What Worked) and Future Strategy _____________________ 10 4.1.1 Campus Telecommunications Network Infrastructure and Future Direction: ____________ 10 4.1.2 Information Forensics ______________________________________________________ 12 4.1.3 Routing of Cellular 911 Calls ________________________________________________ 12 4.1.4 Command and Call Centers__________________________________________________ 13 4.1.5 VT Alerts Emergency Notification System ______________________________________ 14 4.2 Infrastructure Challenges (What Needs Work)____________________________ 15 4.2.1 Cellular Phone Service _____________________________________________________ 15 4.2.2 Public Switched Telephone Network __________________________________________ 17 4.2.3 Emergency Responder Radio Communications __________________________________ 18 5 Tactical Recommendations __________________________________________ 20 5.1 Data Communications Utilization and Performance _______________________ 20 5.2 Web Communications Utilization and Performance________________________ 20 5.3 Systems Support Utilization and Performance ____________________________ 21 5.4 Radio Communications Systems Utilization and Performance _______________ 21 5.5 911 Systems Utilization and Performance ________________________________ 22 5.6 Cellular Service Utilization and Performance _____________________________ 22 5.7 Traditional Telephone Utilization and Performance _______________________ 23 5.8 Video, Campus Cable Television, and Related Broadcast Systems Utilization and Performance ______________________________________________________________ 24 5.9 Information Technology Support Services________________________________ 25 5.10 Data Preservation ____________________________________________________ 25 5.11 Data Retrieval _______________________________________________________ 25 5.12 Managing Personal Information ________________________________________ 26 5.13 Response Centers ____________________________________________________ 27 5.14 Cyber Security ______________________________________________________ 28 5.15 VT Alerts Automated Notification System________________________________ 28 Attachment A: President’s Charge Letter __________________________________ 30 Copyright © 2007 Virginia Tech PRESIDENTIAL WORKING PAPER: TELECOMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP Executive Summary The events of April 16, 2007 and the response, investigation, and recovery at Virginia Tech that followed placed extraordinary demands on telecommunications network resources and university Information Technology professionals. This report provides a comprehensive inventory and analysis of the communications infrastructure and information systems used during this time period. It addresses resources depended upon by emergency responders, investigating law enforcement officers, university officials, media, faculty, staff, students, and families of the university community. It includes information about communications resources owned and operated by the University and relevant resources owned and operated by providers and responders. To prepare this report, Earving L. Blythe, Vice President of Information Technology at Virginia Tech convened a Telecommunications Working Group (Working Group) including a broad group of experts representing information technology (IT), law enforcement, and university administration. The report examines multiple areas including: ‚ Data Communications Utilization and Performance ‚ Web Communications Utilization and Performance ‚ Radio Communication Systems Utilization and Performance ‚ 911 Systems Utilization and Performance ‚ Cellular Service Utilization and Performance ‚ Traditional Telephone Service Utilization and Performance ‚ Video, Campus Cable Television, and Related Systems Utilization and Performance ‚ Information Technology Support Services ‚ Data Preservation ‚ Data Retrieval ‚ Managing Personal Information ‚ Response Centers ‚ Cyber-Security ‚ VT Alerts Automated Notification System The main body of the report presents a summary of findings and tactical recommendations drawn from the comprehensive area reports which are presented as appendices. Principal Findings The telecommunications infrastructure comprising the data network, telephone system, cable TV, educational systems, and centralized information services on the university campus and in the community was dramatically stressed during the initial response period but performed adequately. Information Technology staff and telecommunications service providers responded to demands by load balancing systems and increasing capacities for network services. Lines connecting the campus telephone system to the public network experienced a five percent blocking rate for a short period in the face of a Executive Summary 1 Copyright © 2007 Virginia Tech PRESIDENTIAL WORKING PAPER: TELECOMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP three hundred percent increase in the number of call attempts. IT staff equipped eleven temporary emergency command and communications centers with telephones, computers, wireless hubs, faxes, printers, and other needed accessories. Key contributions of Information Technology were in the areas of information-forensics and data storage and retrieval. Virginia Tech is fortunate to have strong expertise among research faculty and IT professional staff in the area of information security. Forensic information was provided to law enforcement for investigation. Personal records including email, voicemail, filebox, and other information were provided to families of victims. Communications infrastructure that experienced degradation during the response: Cellular Telephone Systems During the initial response period on April 16, local cellular provider networks became congested and blocked calls. In-building coverage was inadequate. The strong and supportive response from service providers is noteworthy. After the initial response period on April 16, cellular providers including AT&T, Sprint-Nextel, Verizon Wireless, and US Cellular all dispatched technicians to increase tower capacity. By April 17, Sprint-Nextel, Verizon Wireless, and US Cellular each had “Cell on Light Truck” systems operating on campus and each had provided emergency-use phones and accessories. Sprint-Nextel installed an in-building antenna system at The Inn at Virginia Tech and worked with Virginia Tech Communications Network Services (CNS) to install an in-building antenna system at the command center in Lane Stadium. Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) Virginia Tech’s campus telephone system connects to the rest of the world through the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Senior executives with the local telephone service provider initiated contact to offer support to the University early on the afternoon of April 16. The local provider informed us that call volume into the Blacksburg area increased several fold on April 16 and they acknowledge call blocking occurred. The PSTN is engineered to avoid call blocking under normal circumstances, but not during emergencies. This engineering method is the practice nationally. Emergency Responder Radio Communications Deficiencies in interoperability and coverage of police, fire, and rescue radio communications are decades-old problems in the United States. Local police and emergency agencies use a variety of radio systems and frequencies and are often unable to communicate directly with each other. Radio systems typically do not support mobile data, encryption, geographic information systems (GIS), and other advanced capabilities. Emergency responders reported radios did not work inside some areas of Norris Hall. Executive Summary 2 Copyright © 2007 Virginia Tech PRESIDENTIAL WORKING PAPER: TELECOMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP Principal Recommendations The principal recommendations are strategic in nature. First, the University should develop a new information architecture designed from the ground up for resiliency, performance, applications integration, and ubiquitous access. Second, Virginia Tech should cooperate with community and regional emergency response agencies for development of a fully interoperable mobile communications system with advanced capabilities. Principal Recommendation 1: A New Campus Information Architecture The four phases of emergency management are Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Traditional telecommunications systems have long been critical components for emergency response. But the existing telecommunications system in the United States will not support the innovation possible in emergency management using advancements in processing, visualization, sensors, and myriad other tools. Virginia Tech envisions the creation of a new information