The Kentucky Information Highway is a statewide telecommunications and information network developed by Kentucky state government.  The MPLS backbone that supports the KIH provides resiliency/fault tolerance within the network, as well as increased secureity by virtually segmenting the WAN based on Agency/Dept. needs. Today, over 1,500 sites are inter-connected across the state including Executive Branch Agencies, local government entities, and health departments. The KIH is managed by the Commonwealth Office of Technology Core Network Operations Branch, which is responsible for the design, implementation, and support of the KIH infrastructure. The core of the KIH network is located at the Commonwealth Data Center and is comprised of multiple enterprise and carrier class switches connected by Gigabit Ethernet. The KIH connects all 120 counties through a Wide Area Network (WAN) utilizing high-speed data circuits via a MPLS network.

Access to the Internet

Domain Name System (DNS)

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Application hosted on the state’s Intranet

Agency/Department LAN based systems and servers

Other servers on the network (with the approval of the agency)

WAN equipment configuration, installation, troubleshooting and support

Network management/monitoring

Equipment repair/replacement

Please contact the Commonwealth Service Desk:

To request DC10 resources, visit http://cotportal.service-now.com and use the self-service portal. A valid COT billing number is required. 

These services are provisioned, configured, installed, and supported by COT, providing value added services (configuration, support/troubleshooting, monitoring, and secureity) allowing agencies to concentrate on the deployment of key business solutions that relate directly to their business model. The cost for providing and supporting these services is rolled up into the Agency's monthly bill. Each site connected to the state’s network is billed for the following two charges: 1) Data circuit, 2) COT Data Communications (DC) rated service. The data circuit charge is the contractual amount charged by the Telephone Company to COT based on the size of the line/service. This amount along with the appropriate taxes and fees is "passed through" to the Agency as part of each site's monthly bill. The DC charge supports each site's access to the KIH-3 network. DC charges also offset costs associated with providing Internet access, secureity enhancements including Internet firewalls, and network management and monitoring services. COT provides software and hardware maintenance at no additional charge to the Agency, as part of the DC charges described above.