How the Defense Department Communicates

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Thanks to sequestration and the excellent timing of the GSA conference scandal, travel restrictions have made in-person collaboration difficult in 2013.

At the Defense Department, where civilian and military personnel are located all over the world, technology is essential for bringing people together. John Hale, the chief of enterprise applications at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), is tasked with providing the tech tools to help Defense personnel around the world communicate, collaborate and more effectively executive their mission.

Hale and his team manage three major enterprise systems:

• DoD Enterprise Mail – A secure cloud-based email service.
• DoD Enterprise Portal Service – Cloud-based collaboration suite (think SharePoint)
• Defense Connect Online – Everything from file sharing and screen shares to instant messaging and video teleconferencing

Due to budget constraints, these tools have been more important than ever. In a three month period of time, demand on Defense Connect Online grew by 33 percent, Hale recently told us on the Excellence in Government Podcast. “It’s just that sharp this year.”

Hale joined us to discuss how DISA is helping connect the military, the challenges of developing and maintaining tools that serve more than 850,000 users around the globe and how federal managers looking to implement new technology can take that first step.

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Looking for more defense news? Introducing Defense One, delivering the news, analysis and ideas that will define the future of U.S. national security. Visit DefenseOne.com