FBI CIO Unveils Next-Gen IT Strategy

Despite a setback to its Sentinel case-management system, the agency is deploying a high-speed network, new Office-based PCs, and other infrastructure improvements. The FBI has completed an agency-wide upgrade to its network infrastructure and is six months into deployment of a new Microsoft Office-based PC environment in its field offices. In addition, the FBI's new case-management system, Sentinel, has begun Phase 2 pilot testing, despite delays that have pushed Sentinel's completion into 2011.

... The FBI has replaced its ATM/Frame Relay network with a new Cisco-based IP infrastructure that utilizes Multiprotocol Label Switching for higher performance. The new net, dubbed Next Generation Network, serves as a backbone for three FBI networks -- the unclassified UNet, classified FBINet, and top secret SCION network -- and extends to some 800 FBI locations. The network provides 45 times as much backbone capacity as the one it replaced, as well as doubling access speed at network endpoints.

The network replacement was a necessary precursor to the introduction of upgraded PCs that bring a range of new tools and capabilities to FBI special agents and other employees. The configuration of the FBI's so-called Next Generation Workstation comprises Office 2007 and Windows XP running on a Dell PC with dual-core processor. As a cost saving measure, the FBI upgraded existing PCs with new hardware where possible. ...

via FBI CIO Unveils Next-Gen IT Strategy -- Government Technology -- InformationWeek.