Written by / Compiled by KMI Media Group staff
MLF 2009 Volume: 3 Issue: 9 (October)
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Partnet Inc. has assisted DoD EMALL, the government’s largest online marketplace that enables soldiers to quickly procure critical supply items, to successfully complete the DoD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP). DIACAP is an enterprise process for identifying, implementing, and managing the information assurance capabilities of DoD systems across the full life cycle. The process requires a rigorous review of system architecture and operations encompassing a battery of security requirements to validate the continued security posture of defense systems.
As a contract partner to DoD EMALL, Partnet provides support sustainment, maintenance, and operations. The certification follows on Partnet’s help in transitioning EMALL to a Defense Information Systems Agency computing center earlier this year, a process that required the rearchitecting of over 100 servers. “DoD EMALL is the government’s largest e-commerce system, and now it is also the most interoperable and the most secure,” said Partnet CEO Don Brown. “Partnet is proud to be working towards the successful transition of DoD EMALL security standards to the DIACAP process.”
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Jeff,
I read with interest “From Follower to Leader” by Irene J. Petrick and Phillip J. Ayoub (Military Logistics Forum, September 2009). Petrick and Ayoub offer astute observations about digital natives—tech-savvy young adults who have grown up in a world networked by the Internet—and argue that military logistics processes must be adapted to better accommodate and take advantage of this kind of logistician.
The authors are correct in this assertion. I would contend, however, that modifying logistics processes will not be enough. To make the best use of digital natives, military officials will have to make major adjustments in a range of areas.
Toffler Associates, in a study conducted on behalf of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), recently tackled a similar situation. The DIA was struggling to retain young, digital native employees and suspected its hiring profile was to blame. As we delved into the problem, however, we discovered this was not a matter of poor hiring practices—rather, it was a case of desynchronization. In short, desynchronization occurs when one facet of an organization lags behind another. In this case, DIA’s technology and structure lagged behind its people; its employees were technically adept but the technology with which they had to work was outdated. Further, its organizational structure—a more traditional bureaucratic model—did not accommodate the fast-moving, highly cooperative work style of the digital native.
Desynchronization affects the military logistics community, as well. Part of the solution, as Petrick and Ayoub suggest, will be updating processes for the high-speed, real-time work habits of digital natives. But for full synchronization (and, therefore, full efficiency), military logistics must assess and adapt in five areas: people, process, strategy, technology and structure. Petrick and Ayoub address the first two areas, but strategy (leadership and management practices), technology (information and communication systems) and structure (the way different areas of the community work together) must also be addressed. An organizational challenge can rarely be traced to a single area of the enterprise.
In today’s world, the ability to adapt is key to success. This is as true for the military logistics community as it is for any organization.
To provide more information on desynchronization and the need for adaptiveness, we have authored a black-and-white paper on the subject. If you’re interested in reviewing it, please contact me. We invite you to consider its recommendations and share with us your thoughts on the subject.
Sincerely,
Steven H. Kenney
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