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John J. Garing, Defense Information Systems Agency

There are a number of emerging technologies and methods of applying them that will help the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and the U.S. Defense Department as we build the foundation for network-centric operations, two of which are convergence and Web services. DISA is pursuing the acquisition of services and capabilities employing these technologies with techniques such as capacity-on-demand and managed services.

By John J. Garing, Director for Strategic Planning and Information/Chief Information Officer, Defense Information Systems Agency

Apr 01, 2005

Which emerging technology will have the biggest impact on your organization in the future?

In the network of the future, there will be a number of key convergence points—convergence on a common Internet protocol (IP) core, convergence of telecommunications and computing infrastructures, and convergence of the back-end infrastructure. Moving to a common IP core flattens the network, making it simpler for customers to connect through a smaller set of standard physical interfaces. Use of standard technology enables joint solutions that translate into less equipment, training and support personnel. For deployed forces, this means a smaller footprint and more universal access to relevant data. Voice, data and video are applications on the new network. Terms such as conferencing, collaboration and communication lose their distinction. What becomes important is the ability to locate and link people regardless of the device or application they are using.

In the back-end infrastructure, DISA is planning to acquire processing and storage capacity in its data centers as an elastic service, one that can scale quickly and contract based on demand. The agency will manage capacity with service-level agreements; in fact, it has several examples of this strategy in place now.

The Defense Department is making the transition to Web services. The objective is for multiple applications to share information across the network regardless of the programming language or the operating system. The keys are the introduction of network-centric capabilities and the creation of an Internet-like environment in the department with core enterprise services. The core enterprise services will enable the agency to discover and expose data relevant to specific military missions more quickly than ever before.

DISA’s recent support to the tsunami relief effort in South Asia featured the use of the Defense Department’s Next Generation Collaboration Services (NGCS) pilot. The agency is in search of more solutions that will meet operational requirements without the need to deploy hardware and software. And, authenticity and nonrepudiation will be crucial to making more data available and usable on the network.

Technology is advancing at a rapid rate, so the way DISA acquires technology must be modified to enable the agency to take advantage of it. This dictates that the agency move away from the acquisition of systems and “things” and toward the acquisition of services and capabilities. Acquiring commercial services, such as NGCS, and adapting to them is a much faster method of getting the tools the agency and the military need. Discovering niche technologies developed for a commercial market with no thought of military use is an imperative—connecting good ideas with an unanticipated military need. Acquiring processing and storage capacity and bandwidth as a service governed by service-level agreements provides the speed, flexibility and economies DISA needs. These techniques reduce the time to market.

These changes are leading to the need for a work force and partnerships with vendors that will enable technology to be applied quickly and in ways not previously imagined. DISA needs to take to heart the innovation it has seen on the front lines from young soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. This generation has already taken technology for granted and is challenging the status quo with new concepts and applications for technology that exist or are in the pipeline.

DISA is driving forward technologically and culturally to meet the Defense Department’s transformational objectives and will continue to explore emerging technologies and innovative ways of acquiring them. DISA’s director, Lt. Gen. Harry D. Raduege Jr., USAF, has challenged us to “think big, build small and scale fast.”