Agencies make dent in external IT network connections

Federal agencies have decreased the number of connections to external computer networks by 39 percent in the first four months of 2008 as part of an effort to enhance security and simplify management processes, according to a new report from the Office of Management and Budget.

Comment on this article in The Forum.The decrease brought the number of connections from more than 4,300 in January to 2,758 at the start of May. OMB's Trusted Internet Connections Initiative, announced in November 2007, requires agencies to reduce connections to fewer than 100 in 2009. The exact deadline has yet to be announced.

The original goal was to reduce the number of individual external network connections, including those to the Internet, to 50. But OMB has adjusted that target to fewer than 100, according to the Statement of Capability Evaluation Report, which was dated June 4 but released Thursday.

"We had the agencies submit their statements of capabilities," which detailed how each plans to meet the requirements of the initiative, said Karen Evans, OMB's administrator for e-government and information technology. "This helped summarize where we [stand]. Based on information from agencies, we decided to [adjust] the target."

OMB plans to name certain agencies as trusted Internet connection access providers, or TICAPS. Those agencies will offer varying degrees of support to other agencies, much like the government-hosted shared service centers that currently support the lines of business initiatives. They also will manage the physical access points once external connections are consolidated.

Agencies submitted proposals to be one of the following:

• Multiagency TICAPS, which will offer services internally and to other agencies;

• Single service TICAPS, which will provide services internally; or

• Seeking service, meaning they will turn to an approved TICAPs to connect to external networks. Agencies that did not submit proposals automatically fell into this category.

Two agencies submitted proposals to be multiagency service providers. OMB determined that the two combined could manage seven connections, but Evans said on Thursday that one of those agencies has retracted its proposal. Sixteen agencies submitted proposals to be single-service providers, potentially supporting 72 connections, and 121 agencies said they would turn to one of the multiagency providers. Evans noted that these numbers are subject to change, as agencies move further along in implementation.

The $68 billion Networx telecommunications contract, managed by the General Services Administration, will be modified to offer comprehensive services that support the TIC initiative. Nextworx vendors will be able to submit bids to offer the services under their current contracts.

"[Vendors] that meet the technical requirements will have added on to their contract TIC services, [which agencies can] build into statements of work," Evans said.

OMB expects Networx providers will manage approximately 10 TICs. But slow progress on the transition from the now-expired FTS 20001 contract to Networx could cause delays in establishing those connections.

"Most agencies are using Networx, and have tight time frames with GSA," Evans said. Statements of work are supposed to be completed by Sept. 30, according to GSA's schedule. "[After that], agencies can move on plans of action and milestones. No later than 2009, everything should be operational -- that's our OMB date. We're pushing on agencies."