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 U.S. Army Keeps Its Network Right On Target |
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By Mona R. Litt
The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) depends as much on its computer network to get the job done as the military relies on its armored vehicles and armaments. "Our network is the lifeline to our whole command," explains Lori Hardy-Simo, chief of TACOM's local-area branch. "Our command group wants 24-hour access to everything on the network, and we have to give it to them, no matter what it takes. Maintaining our remote-access connectivity remains critical since so much of the military travels around the world."
Most large organizations rely on e-mail as the fastest and most efficient mode of communication, but with TACOM's operations, it takes on even greater importance. "Our command lives and dies on e-mail," says Hardy-Si mo. "If we don't have the network running, we're not doing our jobs," she adds. TACOM's intranet provides even more communication among employees by offering easy access to administrative documents, a common telephone directory, Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT and Lotus Development Corp.'s Domino databases. Since TACOM acquires and distributes all firepower and vehicles for the Army, it has to test all products to make certain that soldiers use the proper materials in the right environments. TACOM engineers and designers use the Silicon Graphics Power Challenge Array supercomputer to run motion-based simulations, war games and vehicle or track simulation analysis for source selection boards, according to Hardy-Simo. It's custom applications like these that save time and money and help personnel make more educated choices. With the constant installation of new technology, TACOM creates a paperless environment while storing materials and sharing information in the most timely manner. Hardy-Simo, along wi th independent contractor Synetics Corp., keeps this operation moving with several custom applications. TOPARS (TACOM Optical Archiving Retrieval System) creates and stores mainframe reports from the Rock Island, Ill., satellite location. JetForm Corp.'s FormFlow lets staff members easily fill out forms via e-mail and even offers electronic signature processing, according to Hardy-Simo. Synetics also manages the TWTV (TACOM-Warren Television) network, which offers broadcasts from the base's command general, instructional programming and even cable station CNN. As of press time, the command general can tape his program from any location and broadcast over fiber to various monitors set up at TACOM, New Jersey's Picatinny Arsenal and Rock Island. Hardy-Simo says that by next quarter, IPTV (owned by a Cisco Systems subsidiary) will bring one-way live broadcasts over the network to any PC, no matter what the location. For more on TACOM's history, activities or business opportunities, visit its Web site at www.tacom.army.mil. |
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