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1 PURPOSE
This appendix establishes policies and assigns responsibility for the
sharing, optimizing, and consolidating of telecommunications resources within
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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2 BACKGROUND
USDA must take advantage of every opportunity to aggregate and optimize the
acquisition of new telecommunications resources through the coordination of
business processes and telecommunications planning among all USDA agencies. The
Clinger-Cohen Act has mandated that agencies refocus information technology
management to support directly their strategic missions, implement an investment
review process that drives budget formulation and execution for information
systems, and rethink and restructure the way they perform their functions before
investing in information technology to support that work. Additionally the Chief
Information Officer (CIO) has instituted an Information Technology (IT)
moratorium on all IT purchases. In response to these actions the Office of the
Chief Information Officer (OCIO) implemented the Telecommunications Network
Stabilization and Migration Program (TNSMP) to establish the controls and
processes for stabilizing and managing the current USDA agency networks and
migrate towards an Enterprise Network (EN).
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3 REFERENCES
Source Publication Title/Subject
Congress PL 103-354, Title II, Federal Crop Insurance 108 Stat. 3209 (1994)
Reform and Dept. of Agriculture
Reorganization Act Congress PL 104-106, Title LI, Information Technology
Division E (1996)
Management Reform Act of 1996 (Clinger-Cohen Act)
USDA Plan Version 1.0 (1997) Telecommunications Network Stabilization and
Migration Program (TNSMP)
USDA DR 3040-2 Call Detail Records
4 ABBREVIATIONS
CDR - Call Detail Record
CIO - Chief Information Officer
EN - Enterprise Network
FIR - Forecast Inventory Reporting
IRM - Information Resource Management
OCIO - Office of the Chief Information Officer
SDP - Service Delivery Point
TMACO - Telecommunications Mission Area Control Officer
TNSMP - Telecommunication Network Stabilization and Migration Program
TOBI - Telecommunications Ordering, Billing, and Inventory System
TSO - Telecommunications Services and Operations
USDA - United States Department of Agriculture
5 POLICY
Opportunities within USDA for sharing, optimizing, and consolidating
telecommunications resources shall be explored and implemented, as appropriate,
to:
a Make efficient, cost-effective use of telecommunications resources and
serve the public in the best possible manner.
b Make maximum use of all Government provided telecommunications resources to
achieve optimum configuration of services at each service delivery point.
c Ensure Government telecommunications resources are shared, optimized and
consolidated where determined to be technically and economically feasible.
d Procure and use telecommunications resources in a manner that promotes
information sharing among agencies and assures that telecommunications resources
and the data transported using these resources are adequately protected.
6 RESPONSIBILITIES
a Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) will:
(1) Assess current and future telecommunications needs;
(2) Participate in requirements analyses of current and future
telecommunications needs;
(3) Provide Departmental leadership and identify cost reduction opportunities
for sharing, optimizing, and consolidating of telecommunications resources
throughout USDA;
(4) Provide consultation and analytical support to agencies and staff offices
in developing and implementing plans of action for sharing, optimizing, and
consolidating of telecommunications services with particular emphasis on:
(a) Collocated USDA offices;
(b) Offices undergoing reorganization;
(c) Utilization of the standard Departmental Telecommunications Ordering,
Billing, and Inventory System (TOBI) for all telecommunications ordering,
billing and inventory activities in support of the agency. Procedures will be
established to:
1 Ensure that information in the TOBI system is current and accurate;
and
2 Ensure that vendor billing for telecommunications services are
accurate.
(d) Utilization of the standard Departmental
Telecommunications Ordering, Billing, and Inventory (TOBI) database of
telecommunications equipment, facilities, access, and services to enable
effective telecommunications management. This database will provide information
necessary to drive optimization and consolidation models and tools. This
database will maintain at a minimum:
1 Telecommunications access and services information, which includes
usage and cost data; and
2 Telecommunications equipment and software information, which includes
capacity and cost data.
(e) Conducting of vulnerability assessments and implementation of risk
migration strategies.
(5) Assist and educate agencies and staff offices, as requested, in using the
network analysis model or other tools to analyze current costs and potential
savings from sharing, optimizing, and consolidating of telecommunications
services;
(6) Make available FTS2000/2001 and Forecast Inventory Reporting (FIR)
database information on long distance telecommunications services, costs and
billing information for agencies and staff offices upon request;
(7) Provide guidance and direction on consolidation of telecommunications
services with non-USDA Federal agencies;
(8) Review and approve agency action plans for implementing changes in
telecommunications services within Group One cities. Group One cities must be
optimized for network concentration nodes for an EN;
(9) Monitor progress of agency optimization and consolidation improvements
using the "USDA Network Analysis Model" and monthly USDA FTS2000/2001 billing
data;
(10) Coordinate the designation of lead agencies, as required, prior to the
implementation of a EN;
(11) Include the sharing, optimization and consolidation of
telecommunications resources in the Capital Planning and Investment Control
process;
(12) Ensure that sharing, optimization and consolidation are a part of the
Performance and Results-Based management process to establish goals for
improving the efficiency and effectiveness of agency operations and, as
appropriate, the delivery of services to the public through effective use of
Information Technology; and
(13) Review and approve all agency transition plans from FTS2000 to FTS2001
in order to ensure that all new data communications services and circuits are
consistent with progress towards an EN.
b Lead Agencies will:
(1) Assume leadership role and assure that all participating
agencies = requirements are met to the greatest extent possible, as
quickly as possible, and with adequate security of resources considered and
implemented during each phase of the consolidation;
(2) Implement and manage shared telecommunications resources in accordance
with Departmental guidelines until implementation of the Enterprise Network;
(3) Coordinate with the TSO to include:
(a) Acquiring and maintaining consolidated telecommunications resources and
equipment, ordering services, and handling system changes;
(b) Receiving and distributing consolidated billing, including Call Detail
Reports as defined in DR-3040-2, "Call Detail Records" as available;
(c) Providing for local problem resolutions; and
(d) Providing local government contract support as
required.
c Agencies and Staff Offices will:
(1) Consider and sufficiently address sharing, optimizing, and consolidating
of current FTS2000 services with other agencies as appropriate;
(2) Seek and actively pursue opportunities for sharing, optimizing, and
consolidating of telecommunications resources;
(3) Eliminate redundant or uneconomical services, especially in office
closures, relocations or consolidations to ensure:
(a) All unneeded telecommunications services are terminated promptly and
accounts are closed; and
(b) Telecommunications equipment is properly accounted for and used where it
is practical and cost-beneficial.
(4) Establish and maintain the TOBI system for telecommunications equipment
and services, which contain at a minimum:
(a) circuit information, (address, city, state, and zip code);
(b) equipment and service types;
(c) network usage levels; and
(d) network usage and equipment cost.
(5) Designate a senior management official or a single point-of-contact to
serve as the Telecommunications Mission Area Control Officer (TMACO) to
coordinate optimization and consolidation of telecommunications services
internally, with OCIO, and with other agencies;
(6) Notify OCIO, through the telecommunications planning process, of all
initiatives to share telecommunications resources;
(7) Develop and implement an action plan for improving the management of
telecommunications resources and services, reducing costs, and assuring security
requirements are met. This action plan for each calendar year will be due to
OCIO by October 15 of the preceding year;
(8) Participate with lead agency in requirements analysis, cost analysis, and
configuration design;
(9) Utilize the "USDA Network Analysis Model," or an equivalent quantitative
analysis method to analyze current cost and potential savings from consolidation
and aggregation of telecommunications services;
(10) Obtain a waiver from OCIO/TSO to decline sharing, optimizing, and
consolidating opportunities within a Group One city. Written justification, in a
quantitative fashion (see (4)c), (8) above), must be submitted with the waiver
request; and
(11) Prepare an FTS2001 transition plan.
7 DEFINITIONS
Consolidation (FTS2000/FTS2001 Service Delivery Point). Determining the
most cost-effective combination of circuit arrangements based upon the existing
or predicted traffic pattern at a SDP.
Lead Agency. The agency at a consolidated location designated by OCIO to
be in charge of coordinating and implementing all telecommunications services at
that site.
Optimization (FTS2000/2001 Service Access). Determining the most
cost-effective FTS2000/2001 access arrangement based upon the existing or
predicted traffic pattern at a SDP.
Service Delivery Point. The point at which FTS2000/2001 network service
terminates.
Sharing. Federal offices located in the same building or campus using a
single integrated telephone system, the same video teleconferencing facilities
or other telecommunicationsresources.
USDA Network Analysis Model (for FTS2000/FTS2001 only). An automated
tool, developed and maintained by OCIO, which assists the telecommunications
analyst in determining the most cost-effective selection of FTS2000 services to
meet organizational requirements.
USDA Group 1 Cities. Those 21 cities that must be optimized and will
likely become network concentration nodes for an Enterprise Network. The lead
agency in each of the Group One 21 cities will be required to submit (if not
already submitted) a Multi-Agency Site plan before any other agency located
within the boundaries of the specific city can install dedicated services or
equipment.
City/State Lead Agency
Washington, DC OCIO
San Francisco, CA FS
Albany, CA ARS
Fort Collins, CO OCIO
Denver, CO FS
Kansas City, MO RD
Sacramento/Davis, CA FS
Atlanta, GA FS
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX FNS
Raleigh/Durham, NC NRCS
Des Moines/Ames, IA NRCS
Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN APHIS
Phoenix, AZ FS
Ogden, UT FS
Albuquerque, NM FS
Portland, OR FS
Austin, TX NASS
Boise, ID FS
Orlando, FL NASS
Jackson, MS NRCS
New Orleans, LA OCFO
Chicago, IL FNS
St. Louis, MO RD |
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