FBI Briefs Media on Its Information Technology Reforms and Initiatives
| Washington, D.C. June 08, 2005 |
The FBI today held a media briefing to discuss its information technology program as well as recent media coverage of the FBI’s technology initiatives.
FBI Chief Information Officer (CIO) Zalmai Azmi stated: “In the past year, the FBI has transformed its information technology (IT) practices and management structure. The FBI has implemented a coordinated, strategic approach to IT which includes centralized management under the Office of the Chief Information Officer. This approach includes a Strategic IT Plan, an FBI-wide Enterprise Architecture, a Life Cycle Management Directive (LCMD), defined IT processes and procedures, several IT governance boards, new training and certification initiatives, an IT Investment Strategy, and a Portfolio Management System. These changes have been made within the past year as the FBI’s information technology program has begun a transition towards becoming a state-of-the-art IT system.
“The Virtual Case File program concluded in March, 2005, and as a result of the VCF pilot testing, the FBI gained invaluable information about its current and future approach to IT. As a result of VCF, the FBI is better situated to roll-out successful IT initiatives in the future.
“The FBI’s next generation information management system, Sentinel, is the FBI’s first deployment in a Service Oriented Architecture, and goes well beyond the envisioned capabilities for VCF. The FBI has requested IT industry feedback for the Sentinel program through the National Institutes of Health’s Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) office. Sentinel will roll-out key technical services, including automated workflow, search capabilities, records and case management, and reporting protocols, which will be delivered through Sentinel’s four-phased program.
FBI CIO Azmi further stated, “At this point, there is no complete cost estimate for the Sentinel program. The FBI has contracted with two independent IT vendors to formulate cost estimates for the Sentinel program. The cost estimate that was reported in recent media coverage is incorrect.”
One of the vendors that FBI contracted to complete a cost estimate was Aerospace Corporation. A spokesperson from Aerospace Corporation said: “The FBI contracted with us to prepare an independent cost estimate for its future information management system, Sentinel. Our methodology was based on generally accepted cost estimation processes used across industry and government. When we revisited our initial estimate, we applied a new set of protocols, which included the period of performance, contract type, and operations and maintenance costs. Consideration of these new assumptions yielded a different program cost estimate that varied by several hundred million dollars from our original estimate.”
CIO Azmi stated: “The reconciled cost estimate came in significantly lower than the first estimate that was submitted to the FBI.”
CIO Azmi reiterated: “The FBI is committed to utilizing the most up-to-date technologies. I am fully confident that through the Sentinel program, the FBI will be able to more successfully manage and achieve maximum efficiency in its information infrastructure.”