What Does IETF Do?

Total employees89
HeadquartersReston
Founded

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a large, open, international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. It is the premier Internet standards body that develops and promotes voluntary Internet standards, in particular, the standards that comprise the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP). The IETF's mission is to make the Internet work better by producing high-quality, relevant technical documents that influence the way people design, use, and manage the Internet. Participation is open to any interested individual, and its work is conducted through mailing lists, working groups, and tri-annual face-to-face meetings.

Where Is IETF's Headquarters?

HQ Function

Provides essential administrative, financial, legal, and logistical support for the IETF's global standards development activities, managed by the IETF Administration LLC, a subsidiary of the Internet Society (ISOC).

Notable Features:

As an administrative office for ISOC supporting the IETF, it does not have notable public-facing architectural features; its significance lies in its functional support for the global IETF community.

Work Culture:

The administrative staff supporting the IETF work in a collaborative environment focused on efficiently supporting the IETF's open processes, volunteer community, and mission-driven goals. The culture emphasizes service, neutrality, and enabling global participation.

HQ Significance:

The ISOC office in Reston is significant as the primary administrative hub supporting the IETF's operations, ensuring the continuity and smooth functioning of one of the world's most important internet standards organizations.

Values Reflected in HQ: The administrative setup aims to reflect transparency, accountability, and dedicated support for the IETF's core values of open participation, technical competence, and volunteer contributions to the Internet.

Location:

The IETF's global presence is defined by its worldwide community of thousands of participants from over 100 countries, rather than physical offices. IETF meetings rotate between North America, Europe, and Asia to encourage broad international participation. The standards developed (e.g., HTTP, TLS, IPv6) are foundational to the global Internet, impacting users and systems worldwide. Its work is continuously advanced through global mailing lists and remote collaboration tools.

Street Address:

11710 Plaza America Drive, Suite 400

City:

Reston

State/Province:

Virginia

Country:

USA

Where Else Does IETF Operate Around the World?

Geneva, Switzerland

Address: Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines 9, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland

Facilitates ISOC's interaction with European governments, international organizations, and the technical community in the region, thereby supporting ISOC's global mission, which includes its stewardship of the IETF.

Buying Intent Signals for IETF

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Notable news
Hiring actively
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
*Example signal, not calculated in real time

Who's Leading IETF? Meet the Executive Team

As of April 2025, IETF' leadership includes:

Mirja Kühlewind - IETF Chair
Alexa Morris - Interim Executive Director, IETF Administration LLC
Tommy Pauly - Internet Architecture Board (IAB) Chair

Who's Investing in IETF?

IETF has been backed by several prominent investors over the years, including:

Meeting Registration Fees from Attendees
Sponsorships from Organizations and Corporations for meetings and specific activities (e.g. RFC Editor)
Significant Financial and Administrative Support from the Internet Society (ISOC)
In-kind Contributions and Volunteer Efforts from Individuals and their Sponsoring Organizations

What Leadership Changes Has IETF Seen Recently?

Hire1
Exits1

The primary leadership change in the past year involved the Executive Director role for the IETF Administration LLC, with Jay Daley concluding his tenure and Alexa Morris stepping in as Interim Executive Director.

Departures

Jay Daley, Jay Daley concluded his tenure as Executive Director of the IETF Administration LLC at the end of 2023.

New Appointments:

Alexa Morris, Alexa Morris was appointed as Interim Executive Director of the IETF Administration LLC, starting January 2024.

What Technology (Tech Stack) Is Used byIETF?

Discover the tools IETF uses. Highperformr reveals the technologies powering your target accounts — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams prioritize smarter and close faster.

IETF Email Formats and Examples

Communications with IETF leadership and administrative staff primarily use email addresses ending in '@ietf.org'. Specific roles have dedicated aliases (e.g., 'mchair@ietf.org', 'exec-director@ietf.org'). Individual staff members of the IETF Administration LLC often use formats based on their names. General inquiries can usually be directed to role-based addresses or contact forms available on the IETF website. The IETF community itself heavily relies on public mailing lists for its work.

[first_initial][last]@ietf.org or [first_name].[last_name]@ietf.org or [role]@ietf.org

Format

exec-director@ietf.org

Example

85%

Success rate

What's the Latest News About IETF?

IETF BlogApril 3, 2024

Internet Engineering Task Force News: IETF 119 Brisbane Summary

The IETF Blog published a comprehensive summary of the IETF 119 meeting held in Brisbane, Australia. The post highlights key discussions on topics such as QUIC, Messaging Layer Security (MLS), and the formation of new working groups. The meeting saw participation from approximately 1200 in-person attendees and 600 remote participants....more

ICANN NewsFebruary 29, 2024

Internet Engineering Task Force News: ICANN and IETF Sign MoU for Root Zone KSK Management

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) announced the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU formalizes their respective roles and responsibilities concerning the operational aspects of managing the Root Zone Key Signing Key (KSK), crucial for DNSSEC....more

IETF Announcement ListJanuary 10, 2024

Internet Engineering Task Force News: Alexa Morris Appointed IETF LLC Interim Executive Director

The IETF Administration LLC Board announced the appointment of Alexa Morris as the Interim Executive Director, effective January 2024. This followed the departure of Jay Daley at the end of 2023. Alexa Morris brings extensive experience from her previous roles within the IETF community and Internet Society....more

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