Blog: Only Existing Technologies Allowed Into Future GIG

The third iteration of the Defense Department's Global Information Grid (GIG 3.0) may represent a breakthrough in networking capabilities, but only current technologies need apply to build it, according to a Defense Department official. Mark Loepker, acting director for the Defense Information Assurance Program, told a panel audience at TechNet Asia-Pacific 2011 that industry should bring innovative solutions to the GIG table-only, a solution that is not supported by current technology is not a solution. Participating in the panel via a videoconference link from Herndon, Virginia, Loepker emphasized that industry should bring products "with security baked in." These GIG products also should embed identity and access management, and they must meet federal mobility challenges. Mac Townsend, a data architect with the Defense Intelligence Agency, stated that industry should bring services that can be tested before they are implemented into the GIG. And former defense official Marv Langston, now with Langston Associates, suggested that the tough budget times that lie ahead may be a boon to innovative solutions. Declining budgets are the best time to get new ideas into the system, he said, because when budgets are rising, people do not listen to innovative suggestions because they are too busy spending money.