Written by Harrison Donnelly
MIT 2010 Volume: 14 Issue: 7 (August)
Questions are frequently more useful, or at least thought provoking, than answers. So I was especially interested during the recent Army LandWarNet conference, where an industry panel responded to five critical questions submitted by Army IT leaders. In edited form, they were:
The Army is transforming to a modular force centered on brigade combat teams capable of operational plug and play deployments. A key and essential element of this operational model is a corresponding network plug and play capability. The recently published everythingover- IP enterprise architecture strategy focuses on industry standards to accelerate the fielding of state-of-the-art C4 capability. How would you rate this approach in its ability to deliver needed capability?
The Army is standardizing operating environments across all echelons, in order to accelerate the development of software applications, streamline the certification and accreditation process, and enable a rapid and smooth transition for deployment. Do you think a process similar to the Apple icon process, where applications are certified with a matter of weeks, will work for Army-specific applications? The Army is interested in placing applications in the cloud to provide access to data and applications for deployed and non-deployed forces. What criteria should the Army include in its evaluation process to determine placement of applications, and how can it make maximum use of cloud technology for deployed forces?
How can the Army take advantage of managed services in current operations, given the requirements for security and availability? What are the major risks, and how might they be mitigated?
Army networks are under increasing attacks by adversaries. What do you see as game-changing capabilities that will enable the Army to adequately operate in a hostile cyberenvironment? How would you recommend the Army maximize its investment in defense capabilities, and where should the Army take greater risks?
Harrison Donnelly, Editor
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