Mark Johnson

Editor’s note: MCNC Chief Technology Strategist Mark Johnson discusses the future of big data and the technology infrastructure needed to support modern science, offering key takeaways from the first National Research Platform (NRP) Workshop held this month in Montana. MCNC operates the state-wide North Carolina Research and Education Network.  BOZEMAN, Mont. – Modern science is all about big data, and a group of scientists and engineers across the country are driving the technology that enables it. About 125 scientists and engineers gathered at Montana State University on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8 to plan for the future of the...

Editor’s Note: Mark Johnson is the Chief Technology Strategist at MCNC, a technology nonprofit that builds, owns and operates the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN). Mark has more than 30 years of experience developing Internet technology and deploying it. He currently is a board member of The Quilt and the Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition and a nominee to serve on the FCC’s new Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee to represent the national R&E networking community. RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – What exactly is Federated Identity Management, or FIM? Here is a simple way to grasp...

Editor’s note: On the third day of the 12 Days of Broadband, MCNC Chief Technology Officer Mark Johnson discusses Internet speeds and availability in Europe as compared to when he is at home in North Carolina after traveling abroad over the summer. RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Maybe we don’t have it so bad after all. We have all seen the statistics showing that the United States is lagging horribly in Internet speeds and availability. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows U.S. broadband penetration is 15th among developed countries, most of those in Europe. On a...

Editor’s note: Mark Johnson is chief technology officer of MCNC and former interim executive director of U.S. UCAN. RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Maybe we don’t have it so bad after all. We have all seen the statistics showing that the United States is lagging horribly in Internet speeds and availability. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows U.S. broadband penetration is 15th among developed countries, most of those in Europe. On a recent trip to Europe I was able to sample Internet service in a wide variety of locations ranging from big cities like London and Paris...

Editor’s note: As an industry group that includes Red Hat, Cisco and IBM formed on Monday to push Software Defined Networking, more attention is becoming focused on this emerging technology. In fact, SDN’s increasing promise has been identified as a major reason for Oracle’s announced acquisition of Morrisville-based Tekelec. To better understand SDN and what it means for the networking industry, WRALTechWire asked Mark Johnson, chief technology officer at MCNC and a leader in such projects as Internet 2, to offer his insight and analysis on this hot topic. RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - Software Defined Networking (SDN) is the...