Army boosts planning, IT focus

Miriam Browning, the Army's new principal director of enterprise integration, is taking on increased responsibilities related to strategic planning, outreach and forging partnerships with Army customers.

Browning, formerly the Army's director of information management, assumed her new role Aug. 7 as part of the reorganization of the chief information officer's office. The reorganization embraces knowledge management and centralizes management of the Army's servicewide information technology infrastructure.

"What prompted it was the proliferation of all the computers, servers, systems that we had out there, and it was not a good way to run business," Browning said.

"The benefit to the Army does come in efficiencies over time because when you consolidate, you don't have as many pieces of equipment, as many people or as many software licenses to care for and maintain," Browning said. "That is a cost savings."

Browning was the catalyst behind the Army's intranet portal, Army Knowledge Online, which offers Army news, distance-learning opportunities, lifetime e-mail accounts, a search engine and a chat room for soldiers, civilian em.ployees and retirees.

Now Browning heads six directorates: Army Knowledge Management, strategic outreach, chief technology office, human capital management, strategic partnering, and policy and governance.

"The reorganization has realigned people and responsibilities toward the Army Knowledge Management goals and broadened the CIO's focus as an enterprise change catalyst for Army transformation," Browning said.