Navy Outlines Cybersecurity, Networking Plans

The U.S. Navy's IT project list for the new fiscal year includes cybersecurity, network architecture planning, more effective use of wireless spectrum, and improved IT management and information sharing, according to a just-released plan.

Protecting the Navy's networks is near the top of its to-do list. "We must find ways to enable the innovative use of information management and IT to meet the needs of the warfighter, while continuing to provide secure and reliable networks to defend our cyber investments and information," Navy CIO Robert Carey said in a letter outlining the goals.

The Navy plans to extend public key protection to mobile devices, encrypt stored data, phase out the use of user names and passwords as log-ins to unclassified networks, and reduce the amount of personally identifiable information it stores. It has set a goal of reducing personally identifiable data breaches by 25%.

In addition, the Navy intends to do more comprehensive cybersecurity assessments and streamline its security certification and accreditation processes.

The Navy has overcome many of the problems that once plagued the Navy Marine Corps Intranet, and it's now turning its attention to the next generation of its network infrastructure, the so-called Naval Networking Environment 2016, in anticipation of the NMCI contract ending in 2010. The Navy plans to refine its networking roadmap, implement enterprise architecture governance, invest in green IT and cloud computing, and move as many ship-based systems "as practical" to a service-oriented architecture called the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services.

To better manage its systems and projects, the Navy plans to introduce an enterprise-wide portfolio management process, widen use of standardized performance measurement, consolidate IT management software, and eliminate duplicate software and hardware on ships.

Much like other government agencies, the Navy is working to improve collaboration and knowledge management. In fiscal 2010, it plans to implement more Web 2.0 collaboration tools internally and release Web 2.0 guidelines, publish a new portal strategy and consolidate portals down to three, develop improved knowledge management policies, and strengthen records management.

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