Defense Information Systems Agency Continues Legacy of IT Excellence Using IT Service Management

by DrewJAEHNIG

hortly after the end of World War II, a conversation began in the Department of Defense that was to change the world, although at the time that wasn’t the intent. The National Security Act of 1947 created the DepartmentS of the Air Force and with it the Secretary of War was replaced with the Secretary of Defense. This provided the statutory basis for the joint services operating environment which had begun its genesis during World War II. It was this change in paradigm that led thirteen years later to the creation of the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) charged with the joint operations of the Defense Communications System (DCS) across all three military service departments.

Throughout the next nine years, DCA consolidated large portions of the DCS, received responsibility to manage the Defense Communications Satellite System, and started leading edge engineering work with an emphasis in Automatic Voice and Digital Networks. In parallel to this, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) proposed a plan to construct the world’s fi rst packet switching network and in 1969 BBN bid on and received the contract to build the world’s fi rst version of the Internet. By the end of 1969, ARPANet was declared operational and the information age was born.

DCA, meanwhile, continued to push the envelope in support of the Department’s service components developing the World-Wide Military Command and Control System (WWMCCS) which utilized many of the ARPANet concepts to deploy an Automated Data Processing capability for command and control of the nation’s forces. This coincided with the expansion of ARPANet out of the research labs and into the Military establishment proper with a sub- network that became known as MILNET. After progressive development and work with DCA, DARPA turned ARPANet over to DCA for operation in July 1975.

Then in 1983, a watershed event occurred. The ARPANet converted to full TCP/IP capabilities and separated from MILNet which was replaced by the new Defense Data Network (DDN). The DDN became the pre-cursor to the Department’s centrally managed Wide Area Network capability. This, coupled with a continuing expansion into Corporate Information Management for the Department, led DCA to reorganize and a subsequent re-christening as the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) in 1990.

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One year later came the much publicized High Performance The point is that the Department of Defense essentially Computing and Communications Act effectively creating invented IT and the Internet and has been leading the way much of the Internet as we now know it from the remnants in innovation of those technologies since it all started. And of ARPANet. The following year the Department of in the center of that maelstrom is the Defense Information Defense began standing up a series of new IP Router based Systems Agency (DISA). Whether it was TCP/IP networking, networks, resulting in the dismantling of DDN by 1995, telecommunications, computer mega-centers, frontline and establishing the core of the DoD infrastructure as it is warfi ghting communications capabilities, or applications known today. development for the warfi ghter of tomorrow, DISA provides it all. Services such as the Non-Classifi ed Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet), the Secret Internet Protocol Despite having been a leader in the IT sector since it Router Network (SIPRNet), the Defense Research & all began, the agency is facing one of its biggest challenges Engineering Network (DREN), the Joint Worldwide yet. The movement of all this capability into a well-defi ned Intelligence Communications System (JWICS), the Radio overarching service management framework that will Internet Protocol Router Network (RIPRNet), and others enable the agency to clearly align those capabilities with established the Department’s pre-eminence in the data the warfi ghting needs of the future. With its multiple networking fi eld. While WWMCCS gave birth to a host of service desks and broad mission set that spans the globe, new technologies such as the Global Command & Contol to develop an enterprise-wide service management System, Net-Centric Enterprise Services, the Net-Enabled construct is daunting indeed. Command Capability, and others, revealing the agency’s expertise in high performance application development. If managing the broad range of capabilities isn’t complicated enough, the agency has to wrestle with a federal fi nancial At this point you’re thinking, “Okay, so what is the point of system that drives capabilities into management silos. Money this history lesson?” in the federal government is essentially portioned out by

SupportWorld KEEPING THE IT SUPPORT COMMUNITY CONNECTED congress based on appropriations; those appropriations are that converge at the agency level. This process is allowing the usually fairly clear and specify what the money can be spent agency to learn from many different adoption efforts and take for. While this is needed to ensure government entities are the “best of breeds” to rapidly drive the agency to higher levels accountable, it makes service management consolidation for of enterprise-wide process maturity. economies of scale diffi cult and cross-cutting process framework implementation incredibly complicated. Another technique being used by the agency is the outsourcing of some ITSM functionality to speed adoption For example, imagine two separate programs for a moment. of the principles and eliminate ineffi cient time and materials We’ll use a common example; let’s say your desktop services contracts using ITIL-bounded Performance Based Vehicles. An are one program and your e-mail service is another. Under example of this is the development efforts for the Release and appropriation rules, in general, the money designated for Deployment Process in the Network Services (NS) Directorate. desktop services will be restricted to support that and only NS is running a pilot program that will enable the agency to that and vice versa. Now imagine trying to establish a single both meet its ITSM goals and position the agency well to fl ex service desk, knowing that every time you work an e-mail its Release and Deployment capabilities to coincide with the incident you have to use a different source of funds. Now large swell of requirements that will be felt with the current imagine that times 100 or even 1,000. Base Realignment and Closure activities.

Using that as a very simple illustration, it’s easy to see how a The best news of all, though, is DISA’s commitment to very large organization would wind up with multiple service collaboration with the industry. DISA is partnering at various desks each supporting its own program and each with its own levels with services and agencies to speed standardization processes and supporting toolsets. across the entire Department by constant information exchange and sharing. Additionally, DISA has extended its hand to other To conquer this problem DISA is currently engaged in a long Government Agencies (both U.S. and Canadian) through range ITSM strategy utilizing a combination of frameworks the HDI Government Forum so we may learn best applied to maximize the taxpayer’s and indeed the warfi ghter’s return practices from each other, and lastly, to industry partners on investment. This ITSM strategy aligns the agency with and other interested parties through the publicly run Service the overarching Network Operations Concept of Operations Management Process Working Group (which is actually (NETOPS CONOPS) needed for tomorrow’s IP net-centric execute process reforms) and other local ITSM forums. environment. In March 2008, the agency’s internal Enterprise ITSM Governance Board stated a clear goal for the agency of In the end, it is the agency’s goal to provide a clear ITSM adopting ITIL® principals and targeted eventual ISO 20000 framework that will eliminate duplicity, reduce costs, improve compliance as a future state. performance, and most importantly, fulfi ll the needs of the warfi ghter. Proving yet again that DISA is ready to meet the In addition to this, ITIL will provide the agency with challenge, able to innovate, and provide leadership in the the ability to have a common vocabulary across its sector as it has since its inception. telecommunications, applications development, computing centers, and service desk environments that is in alignment with the industry, something not possible in the past.

The agency, recognizing that ITIL is not a “silver bullet,” is utilizing the best of multiple frameworks to create an ITSM architecture hybrid that will both meet ISO 20000 compliance, and also bring additional value propositions to the table. For Drew Jaehnig has been in IT for more than fi fteen years example, the agency’s use of Lean Six Sigma and Business and has managed service desks, network operations Process Reengineering (BPR) techniques enables our ITIL centers, and technical control facilities for Defense Department agencies ranging from the United States Continual Service Improvement Plan while also driving Navy, the Counter-Intelligence Field Activity, the Defense process alignment and reformation. While other frameworks Information Systems Agency, and the Joint Staff Support are providing clear procedural guidelines for subset specialty Center. Mr. Jaehnig is a former member of the United States services such as e-TOM for the telecommunications capabilities Navy and is a member of the HDI Government Forum, the in the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) or COBIT HDI Desktop (formerly Field) Technician’s Technical Review for future auditing and governance capabilities. Committee, The HDI International Standards Committee, The Information Technology Service Management Forum, a certifi ed HDI For the last three years, DISA has been rapidly adopting Support Center Manager, ITIL version 2 these techniques in specifi c segments of the agency through and 3 Certifi ed, implementer of the ITIL grassroots development with top-level executive backing. framework in three different environments, Each of these centers of excellence is being used as a pilot and a winner of the 2008 GCN Technology program toward spiral development of overarching processes Leadership Award.

Drew

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