What Kind of Work does the Institute do?

As its first main project, upon its inception the Institute is engaged in the production of a major study on the Reliability of the Global Undersea Communications Cable Infrastructure, or ROGUCCI in short.  The targeted publishing timeframe for this Study is 2024.  Why ROGUCCI and why now?

• Within ROGUCCI, “GUCCI” stands for the Global Undersea Communications Cable Infrastructure and the "RO" stands for Reliability Of . . . GUCCI.  GUCCI is made up of some 500 fiber optic undersea cable systems which connect the world’s continents.  In 2024 the aggregate length of these cable systems is equal to 40 times the circumference of the Earth.  GUCCI represents the entire physical aspect of global, international undersea cable connectivity, which carries 99% of all intercontinental internet traffic.  As such GUCCI represents the backbone of the global cyber infrastructure.  In the financial and banking sectors of the world economy, GUCCI enables the transfer and settlement on the order of 10 trillion dollars every day, in the main through the Belgian-based “SWIFT”, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.

• ROGUCCI stands for the "Reliability” of GUCCI:  There is presently no backup for any sizable failure of GUCCI, whatever the cause may be: cable system failures, cuts, or sabotage.   For technical and scientific reasons, today, in most cases, repairs and remedies cannot be speedily or cheaply provided.  A possible exception of backup, might be the use of communications satellite constellations, although, only to a limited extent -- such as for some amount of low bandwidth voice or messaging communications.  Additionally, the geographical distribution of specialized repair ships has not kept pace with the growth in the number of cable systems.  Therefore, “Reliability” of service on GUCCI is, at the present time, limited.  

• The First, 2010 "ROGUCCI-10" Report:  

• In 2010, under the joint auspices of the EastWest Institute, the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Dubai International Financial Center, a dedicated task force of cyber specialists led by Mr. Rauscher, as advised by Mr. Castenfelt, published the world’s first comprehensive analysis of the workings and vulnerabilities of GUCCI.  Relying on a pathbreaking “8 Ingredient Framework” for systematic analysis of all aspects of GUCCI, combined with a comprehensive “Intrinsic Vulnerability Approach”, both concepts developed by Rauscher and supported by diverse expertise contributed by an international team of eminent expert advisors, this 186-page 2010 report issued 12 Recommendations to industry, stakeholders and governments.  This original 2010 ROGUCCI report, herein called "ROGUCCI-10", was the main subject of discussion at the First Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit held in Dallas in May 2010, with four hundred cybersecurity and cable specialists from government and industry worldwide attending.   In the intervening years since 2010 until the present day, major lasting interests in ROGUCCI-10 has been displayed by all manner of GUCCI stakeholders.  Thus in the years since, the Founders of the Institute engaged in related ROGUCCI matters with 28 central banks around the globe, other financial institutions, industry owners and cable operators, cyber and security offices in governments of more than 80 countries.

• 12 Recommendations  Based on its findings the ROGUCCI-10 Report issued 12 Recommendations to the Stakeholders of GUCCI with the purpose of increasing Reliability.  These 12 Recommendations, a challenge to GUCCI Stakeholders, were:  

1. Rudimentary Geographic Diversity for Global Infrastructure  
2. Prioritization for Timely Cable Repairs  
3. Preparedness for Hostile Maritime Crises  
4. Best Practices and Trusted Information Sharing  
5. New International Governance  
6. International Communications Infrastructure Standard for the Financial Sector  
7. Measurements for Stakeholder Due Diligence  
8. Improved Cable Protection Agreements, Standards, Policies and Regulations  
9. Government Inter-Agency Coordination for Undersea Cable Infrastructure  
10. Education and Awareness of GUCCI Critical Role 
11. Mechanisms for Handling Overload Demand  
12. Recognize GUCCI Catastrophic Loss As a Grand Challenge