The short answer is probably "yes." Actually, for most people the answer is more like "probably, but it shouldn't really matter."

The good news is that you don't really have to be "ready" because the IPv4 protocol that makes up the backbone of the Internet is not going to suddenly shut off. IPv4 is running out of addresses, and it's definitely showing its age, but it's not going away completely any time soon.

The powers that be have been sounding the alarm bell about the "quickly" diminishing pool of IPv4 IP addresses for years. It's gotten to the point that it almost has the ring of "sky is falling" hyperbole. But, it is true that there is a limited supply of IPv4 addresses, and that the explosion of IP-enabled devices--smartphones, tablets, game consoles, streaming-enabled TVs or TV devices like Apple TV, and more--is going to suck the pool dry quickly.

Now IPv6 is finally here. Instead of the "mere" 430 billion IP addresses possible with IPv4, we will now have a seemingly (340 times 10 to the 36th power) addresses. The new Internet protocol will have plenty of room for growth...and then some.

IPv6 is about more than just expanding the available pool of IP addresses, though. IPv6 in ways that IPv4 does not. When IPv4 was developed, security was not a primary consideration, so things like IPSec were included as optional elements. In IPv6 IPSec is mandatory, so each individual data packet is encrypted and authenticated.