NMCI legacy review streamlined

The Navy is finalizing a process for streamlining the examination of scores of legacy systems that must be reviewed before they become part of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.

EDS, the lead vendor for NMCI, also is checking the process it uses to review those legacy systems.

Legacy systems have been the largest bugaboo for the $6.9 billion initiative to create a single network across the Navy's shore-based sites. The Navy has thousands of systems that must be reviewed before they can be shifted to the new network. The legacy systems must be tested to ensure that they do not interfere with NMCI operations and that they meet NMCI security requirements.

"Clearly the processes we have had in place...are not adequate," Capt. Chris Christopher, NMCI deputy director for plans, policy and oversight, said May 15.

The former legacy review process was slowed by questions about certain applications. The new process will put those applications onto a kiosk system and officials will resolve the questions later, said Rick Rosenberg, EDS' NMCI program executive.

NMCI and EDS officials acknowledge that the faster review processes will increase the number of applications that will be put onto the kiosk system — a standalone, stovepiped network separate from NMCI.

The cost of those kiosk systems running the noncertified applications is EDS' responsibility. However, EDS and the Navy are negotiating how long kiosks will remain an EDS cost, Rosenberg said.

"The Navy is developing policies for how long you can maintain a kiosk," Christopher said.

Following the May 3 decision by Pentagon officials to go forward with NMCI, the Navy and EDS are under pressure to roll out seats at a much faster rate. Rear Adm. Charles Munns, NMCI's director, has said that the goal is to have all 400,000 NMCI seats rolled out by December 2003.