NMCI claims 75 percent satisfaction
It's a 6 percent increase from March.
The Navy Marine Corps Intranet Director's Office and EDS, the company responsible for building and running the network, claim that 75 percent of users that responded to a June 2004 survey report are satisfied with the network.
The survey for this quarter demonstrates a 6 percent spike in user satisfaction from the previous quarter's March survey.
NMCI officials say the steady increase in customer satisfaction relates to the boost in familiarity with the system.
"If you make people change, they don't like it at first," said Navy Capt. Chris Christopher, NMCI's staff director. "But people who've cut over six months or more tend to like it."
The greatest challenge to satisfaction with the system, according to Christopher, is people's perception of their computers. Typically, users view their computers as their own machines to personalize with software and screen savers. With NMCI, however, computers should be seen as access points to a network, similar to how cable boxes are owned by a cable company but provide users with access to their services.
NMCI is a long-term initiative to deliver a single, integrated departmentwide network for Navy and Marine Corps shore commands. It is the largest federal information technology contract ever awarded.
Should EDS officials demonstrate 85 percent customer satisfaction, the contract stipulates that the company will receive $25 per seat per quarter. Financial incentives go up to $100 per seat per quarter if EDS meets a 95 percent customer satisfaction rate. Awards are granted based on the organizational level, not enterprisewide.
Since 2000, the Navy has paid almost $1.4 billion to EDS out of a guaranteed minimum of $6 billion due by 2007. The Navy has the option to extend the contract by three years and $3 billion.