THE DoD OF TOMORROW:

Innovating American Defense

The DoD of Tomorrow: Innovating American Defense 49

W hen you think of DoD’s information infrastructure, you might think mostly

of complex, secret networks. Yet the reality is that the department maintains thousands of SXEOLF�IDFLQJ�ZHEVLWHV�WR�LQIRUP�FLYLOLDQV�DQG�personnel alike. What’s more, keeping those portals functioning and up-to-date can be as challenging of a task as any other defense operation.

7R�XQGHUVWDQG�KRZ�'R'�PLJKW�DFKLHYH�WKLV�WDVN��ZH�VSRNH�ZLWK�'DQ�.DW]�RI�$FTXLD��DQ�open source digital platform solutions and VHUYLFHV�SURYLGHU��+H�H[SODLQHG�KRZ�HPEUDF-ing an open content management system �&06��DQG�GLJLWDO�FORXG�SODWIRUP�RHUV�'R'�the agility to securely respond to changing QHHGV�DQG�HQYLURQPHQWV��DV�ZHOO�DV�JDLQLQJ�HɝFLHQFLHV�DQG�VDYLQJ�WD[SD\HU�GROODUV�

SIMPLIFYING WEBSITE MAN-AGEMENT7KH�PRVW�REYLRXV�EHQHȴW�RI�DQ�DGYDQFHG�CMS is its ability to streamline website management. “An open cloud platform allows DoD to consolidate multiple sites and VWDQGDUGL]H�RQ�D�SURYHQ�UREXVW�WHFKQRORJ\�VWDFN�ȋ�VDLG�.DW]��Ȋ)RU�H[DPSOH��WKH�1DY\�KDV�WKRXVDQGV�RI�ZHEVLWHV��RQ�D�YDULHW\�RI�GLHU-HQW�WHFKQRORJ\�VWDFNV��DQG�WKH\ȇUH�DFWLYHO\�ORRNLQJ�IRU�HDV\��FRVW�HHFWLYH�PRGHOV�IRU�managing and deploying those.”

2QH�RI�WKH�GLɝFXOWLHV�LQ�PDQDJLQJ�WKRVH�multiple websites is the breadth of their com-SOH[LW\��.DW]�VDLG�D�ȵHHW�FRPPDQGHU�ZHEVLWH�could be as simple as six pages while other sites could comprise hundreds of pages. “They’re spending a tremendous amount of tax dollars on software licenses as well as on the resources to manage these,” he said.

8VLQJ�VHUYLFHV�VXFK�DV�$FTXLD�&ORXG�6LWH�)DF-tory allows organizations to manage multiple ZHEVLWHV�ZLWK�OHVV�GLɝFXOW\��Ȋ6WDQGDUGL]LQJ�on an open digital cloud platform would

DOORZ�WKH�1DY\�DQG�DQ\�'R'�RUJDQL]DWLRQ�WR�centrally manage sites based on common templates,” Katz said. “It would allow them WR�FHQWUDOO\�SURFXUH�FORXG�SODWIRUP�VHUYLFHV��and it would also allow non-IT users and FRQWHQW�PDQDJHUV�ZKR�DUH�PRYLQJ�DURXQG�WR�GLHUHQW�SRVWV�WR�QRW�EH�GHSHQGHQW�RQ�Ζ7�when a new site needs to be spun up.”

MAINTAINING AGILITYThis usability by non-IT personnel is the key WR�WKH�FORXG�SODWIRUPȇV�VHFRQG�EHQHȴW��DJLOLW\��Ȋ7KH�ELJJHVW�EHQHȴW�RI�FKRRVLQJ�DQ�RSHQ�SODWIRUP�LV�\RX�KDYH�WUHPHQGRXV�LQQRYD-WLRQ�DQG�DJLOLW\�DGYDQWDJHV��VR�WKDW�\RX�FDQ�TXLFNO\�DGDSW�WR�FKDQJLQJ�FRQGLWLRQV�ȋ�VDLG�Katz. “No organization as much as DoD needs to be able to do that.”

Content managers are able to update FRQWHQW�DV�VRRQ�DV�FRQGLWLRQV�RU�HQYLURQ-ments change, ensuring they meet the most pressing information needs. At the same WLPH��Ȋ7KRVH�IUHHG�XS�Ζ7�VWD�FDQ�EH�IRFXVHG�RQ�LQQRYDWLQJ�DQG�SURYLGLQJ�PLVVLRQ�FULWLFDO�VROXWLRQV�IRU�WKH�ZDUȴJKWHUV�ȋ�VDLG�.DW]��

SECURING PUBLIC & PRIVATE NETWORKS:KLOH�WKHVH�FRQWHQW�DQG�RSHUDWLRQDO�EHQHȴWV�DUH�QHFHVVDU\�IRU�'R'�WR�UHPDLQ�UHOHYDQW��VRPH�RɝFLDOV�PD\�EH�KHVLWDQW�WR�DGRSW�DQ�open solution due to security concerns. +RZHYHU��.DW]�VDLG�WKHVH�FRQFHUQV�DUH�unfounded.

He explained that using open cloud plat-IRUPV�GRHV�QRW�UHTXLUH�H[SRVLQJ�\RXU�HQWLUH�QHWZRUN��ȊΖI�Ζ�ZHUH�'R'��Ζ�ZRXOGQȇW�ZDQW�HYHU\�VLWH�YLVLWRU�WUDYHUVLQJ�P\�QHWZRUN�WR�VHH�SXE-OLF�LQIRUPDWLRQ��2QH�RI�WKH�SULPDU\�EHQHȴWV�RI�a cloud platform would be to keep the public outside of my network,” he said.

0RUHRYHU��GHSDUWPHQW�OHDGHUV�DUH�DOUHDG\�putting safeguards in place to ensure that

open platforms can be used to their fullest SRWHQWLDO�ZLWKRXW�VDFULȴFLQJ�VHFXULW\�

Ȋ7KH�QHZ�'R'�&Ζ2��7HUU\�+DOYRUVHQ��LV�QRZ�DFFHSWLQJ�)HG5$03��ZKLFK�LV�WKH�FLYLOLDQ�JRYHUQPHQW�VWDQGDUG�IRU�FORXG�VHFXULW\��IRU�'R'�OHYHOV���DQG����7KDWȇV�WKH�HTXLYDOHQW�WR�a FISMA moderate accreditation,” explained Katz. “Public facing websites with non-sensi-WLYH�GDWD�FDQ�OLYH�RQ�WKRVH�FORXG�SODWIRUPV�and be completely segmented from internal QHWZRUNV�LQ�'R'��ΖI�WKHUH�LV�D�QHHG�WR�KDYH�some integration to other systems in DoD, FORXG�SODWIRUPV�OLNH�$FTXLD�FDQ�XVH�931�DQG�93&�WHFKQRORJLHV�WR�KDYH�D�VHFXUH�HQG�WR�end isolated network connection between the public cloud and DoD networks like NIPRnet and the Defense Research Engineer-ing Network.”

PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS:KDWȇV�PRUH��VHUYLFH�SURYLGHUV�OLNH�$FTXLD�can help ease the transition and maximize RXWFRPHV��Ȋ$Q�RUJDQL]DWLRQ�FDQȇW�MXVW�JR�ahead and download Drupal and start LPSOHPHQWLQJ�WKLV�DW�DQ�HQWHUSULVH�OHYHO�ȋ�VDLG�Katz. “You really need to be conscious about choosing a partner that has experience with the technology and knows how to implement LW�LQ�DQ�HQWHUSULVH�HQYLURQPHQW�OLNH�'R'�ȋ

7KLV�SDUWQHUVKLS�LV�LPSHUDWLYH�QRW�RQO\�IURP�D�VHFXULW\�SHUVSHFWLYH�EXW�DOVR�IURP�DQ�RUJDQL]DWLRQDO�FKDQJH�SHUVSHFWLYH��ȊΖWȇV�QRW�MXVW�D�WHFKQRORJ\�LVVXH�ȋ�.DW]�VDLG��Ȋ7KHUH�DUH�JRYHUQDQFH�LVVXHV�DQG�SHRSOH�LVVXHV�that are often times the most complicated DQG�FKDOOHQJLQJ��2QO\�D�YHQGRU�WKDW�KDV�WKDW�experience is going to be able to help DoD be successful.”

Open source cloud platforms are the way IRUZDUG�IRU�'R'��+RZHYHU��WKH�GHSDUWPHQW�GRHVQȇW�KDYH�WR�XQGHUJR�WKLV�WUDQVLWLRQ�DORQH�

Updating the Department of Defense with Open Source

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54 A GovLoop Guide

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