This next chapter addresses assessment describes the technology evolution process that involves government and corporate firms to perform technology validation and evolution planning. We go ahead and assess key technology areas, and provide a system technology forecast that can be used by a representative organization on the road to net-centric readiness. We then mention the acquisition trade study process and provide an understanding as to how vendor products can be assessed in an objective and documented manner. We end the chapter by providing a case study and information on the Net-Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC).
TopChapter Content
As you explore Chapter 16, it will cover the following topics:
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The Technology Evolution Process
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Assessing Key Technology Areas
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Net-Centric System Technology Forecast
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Acquisition Trade Study Process
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CASE STUDY: Net Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC)
TopThe Technology Evolution Process
Technology evolution is an obvious and yet a widely encompassing concept. In the case of a net-centric program or system, it is understood that the system has to stand the test of time. This is because information in net-centric systems within the government, military and corporate world has to be kept ongoing for a long period of time. Most government agencies have archival and storage retention rules for official records. For example, the Department of Veteran’s Administration has a “default” 75-year retention rule from the last date of activity, with regard to archival content. This stems from the fact that military veterans enlisted with the VA needs to be has their records stored for this period of 75 years. Retention rules vary for different federal agencies and state governments, however, at least a 25-year retention rule applies for a significant amount of content.
Based on these long retention rules, it is clear that digital technology used within net-centric systems will have a much faster change and evolution process, than the system maintenance and upkeep period. In this case, government and industry personnel need to address technology evolution as a primary task in their governance of net-centric systems.
A dedicated technology evolution process needs to be adopted for any net-centric system to ensure that digital content stored within an archive can be accessed at any time. Within a large, dedicated hardware and software infrastructure, there needs to be a continuous planning process to ensure that the latest tools are being used to stay current with evolving technology.