Portal bliss

Air Force officials hope to add 750,000 subscribers during the first week of April to the Air Force portal to improve collaboration and data sharing.

Air Force officials hope to add 750,000 subscribers during the first week of April to the Air Force portal to improve collaboration and data sharing. The service will let personnel send instant messages to military colleagues and family members, who may use commercial chat products, through the portal in hopes of further strengthening morale and service members' quality of life.

URL: www.my.af.mil

Started: 2000.

Cost: $50 million per year.

Subscribers: 450,000; goal: 750,000.

Applications: 400; goal: 1,200.

Functions: Collaboration; e-mail; instant messaging; financial and personnel business; career, health, life, money, news and travel information.

Encryption: 128 bit.

Web browsers: Microsoft Corp. Internet Explorer Version 5.5 or higher and Netscape Version 4.7 or higher.

Host site: Gunter Annex, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

Project office: Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.

Special projects office: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Systems integrator: Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Integrated Systems and Solutions Division, Gaithersburg, Md.