MILITARY COMMUNITY & FAMILY POLICY ENCLAVE

Cybersecurity

The Problem

“Quality of Life” is an especially popular term used in the military because both service members and their families are often threatened by the upheaval of deployments, frequent moves, and demanding work schedules. As quality of life directly impacts the retention of its workforce, the DoD takes it very seriously. Accordingly, the DoD has implemented several programs and policies to ease the burden of the hardships and make life better for its people.  

“Three Wire created a technology solution for MC&FP that provides high-value IT resources and outputs that are creative, cost effective and easy-to-use.”

Within the DoD, Military Community & Family Policy (MC&FP) is the office whose mission it is to coordinate and support community quality of life programs worldwide; but to carry out this mission, MC&FP needs the correct technology structure in place. MC&FP needed to transition its IT systems to a more advanced, accessible, and secure platform— while still supporting and maintaining the existing structure.  That’s when Three Wire stepped in to provide a solution.

The Three Wire Solution

The scope of the problem was complex. When Three Wire began working on a solution for MC&FP, their primary objective was to evaluate, understand and modernize the existing technology that MC&FP used. Three Wire needed to perform systems and database administration, design new network architectures, streamline operations, adhere to DoD Information Assurance programs, and much more. Ultimately, the solution required a combination of reverse engineering existing systems and creating interoperability with legacy systems so MC&FP could efficiently and securely manage and migrate information into the new system.  

There were several issues that Three Wire needed to address:

Create interoperability with existing legacy technology stack. The legacy solution consisted of numerous IT environments, primarily surrounded by Oracle-based development. 

Ensure administrative management of Military OneSource.  MC&FP needed to be able to manage the administration of Military OneSource (MOS), to include all supporting applications, platforms and websites feeding into MOS. MOS is one of the key programs used by MC&FP which provides service members and their families with access to a wide variety of resources and confidential support, 24 hours a day.

Enhance security for communications.  Due to the size and number of connected portals that communicate in the enclave, Three Wire needed to facilitate secure, multi-way communication, with multi-lingual capabilities built into the solution. Three Wire used multiple zone-security configurations to enhance the security of the enclave. This solution ensured the user’s protection whether in a social media environment or sending emails, courtesy of Three Wire’s online application access. 

Manage system security certification accreditation. Three Wire continues to manage the DoD system security certification and accreditation postures required to sustain the current Military Community and Family Policy Enclave, .NET and MySECO platforms, and MOS email platform. Network security is managed through a Risk Management Framework (RMF) with documentation surrounding ongoing MCFPE architectural changes.

Build in flexibility for future growth. In developing a solution, the Three Wire team took future growth into account and incorporated numerous technologies into the project to ensure a healthy, secure future for the MC&FP enclave. The agile and OSS methodologies deployed by Three Wire enabled effective modernization as increased data, secure communications and outreach to constituents stress the legacy

Results 

Three Wire created a technology solution for MC&FP that provides high-value IT resources and outputs that are creative, cost effective and easy-to-use. By reverse engineering and transitioning the program to a modern architecture and technology stack of secure components, Three Wire was able to update the program while enhancing its security, managing its helpdesk, and architecting its future. Because Three Wire also manages the ongoing certification and accreditation process for the system according to DoD requirements, the enclave remains secure and compliant. Moreover, Three Wire’s Solution promotes agile development and leadership teams to not only work with but, more importantly, embrace the marriage of older and newer technologies. The result is a sustainable and flexible enclave that bridges communication between portals, military units, and military families in a secure, user-friendly environment. All this translates into improved access to the programs and services that MC&FP offers to military service members and their families around the world; and that, in turn, translates into a better quality of life

Key Benefits:

  • Interoperability to existing legacy technology stack

  • Administrative management of Military OneSource

  • Enhance security for communications  

  • Manage system security certification accreditation

  • Build in flexibility for future growth

Kelsey Thayer