Government Technology - April 2008 - (Page 45)

timeline for improvement. The VA already that serves Fortune 100 companies. The owned Microsoft’s Windows Server 2003 With deployment of the RMS client to the East Coast processing center is shared with RMS and had been testing the product for VA’s 250,000 desktops finished, De Sanno the New York Stock Exchange. the past two years. This information protec- said the organization’s next goals are bringing tion technology works with RMS-enabled up additional hardware as well as software to applications to safeguard digital informa- read e-mail messages on BlackBerrys. With tion from unauthorized use. the new servers, this hardware infrastructure The VA already owned Microsoft The organization approved the purchase ensures rights authentication is issued. The Windows RMS as part of its bundle with of the necessary infrastructure and ancil- key is checked for rights management systems Microsoft Office and Microsoft Exchange lary products to make Microsoft’s RMS 100 through this hardware infrastructure. Once Server. According to De Sanno, the quespercent compliant with the VA’s computers: the key validates, it allows the message to be tion then became, “What does it cost not It required, for example, an add-on for more read or encrypted. to deploy this product?” In these kinds than 7,500 BlackBerry users to read RMSenabled e-mail on their mobile technology. The infrastructure requirements included continuity of operations failover to ensure service in the event of a server crash, as well as 4.6 terabytes of storage area network (SAN) disk space for the databases, and hardware Charles De Sanno, executive director, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Enterprise Infrastructure and Technology Engineering security modules to house the “keys to the kingdom.” Microsoft SQL 2005 mirroring also will be used to keep the RMS databases To ensure a robust infrastructure is in of situations, the VA uses its previous synchronized with one another rather than a place, De Sanno said the VA selected primary investment but also determines what the SAN-to-SAN replication. and secondary locations in case of failure private sector offers and ultimately makes De Sanno said the VA identified the required and updated its disaster strategy. Once the a business decision. cost and issued an RFP for vendors. After organization comes to depend on the “We’ll always keep our ear to the ground to the 2006 data breach, however, a prolonged RMS technology, it must be deployed in ensure the VA purchases and deploys best-oftime frame wasn’t appropriate. the VA’s regional processing breed technology that is most cost-effective to Some production systems were centers. The VA is consolidat- the taxpayers,” De Sanno said. The $5 million running RMS after two years ing 170 data centers down to price tag to implement and deploy the RMS of testing, so De Sanno said the four regional centers. Signifi- solution is small, he said, in relation to the VA expanded this approach and cantly reducing the number cost of stolen or leaked data. The cost of losing deployed the RMS client beginof data centers ensures the secure, sensitive data that veterans entrust to ning in January 2007 in a “quiet” VA provides employees and the VA comes with an expensive price tag, mode, which ensured employees veterans with a more secure he said. could use it once the infraenvironment and protects it About 15 percent of VA employees curstructure was up and running. According to a 2007 from natural disasters. rently use the RMS product, and the VA is Through its aggressive timeline, Symantec survey, governWith fewer data centers, De in the process of turning on its servers by rollout to 250,000 desktops took ment is the second most Sanno said the VA can invest early 2008. At the highest levels, the orgatargeted industry for only eight months. appropriately in the infra- nization already has experienced benefits. “Ultimately we didn’t want cyber-attacks accounting structure. The administration The technology ensures users send and transto wait for the infrastructure,” for 26 percent of data will serve applications better, mit sensitive information based on business De Sanno said. “Getting our breaches that could lead having consultants concen- policies. De Sanno said the VA has set policy to identity theft. hardware purchased took trate on fewer mission-critical at the organization’s enterprise level, which longer than the whole rollout.” systems. This will let the orga- has proved to be a big benefit already. The VA didn’t have any specific chal- nization rapidly roll out technology such “It’s rewarding that we have recognized lenges with the RMS deployment, said De as RMS. the value of Microsoft RMS and are applying Sanno. From a systems management point “It allows us to integrate products very it in rapid fashion to solve real-world probof view, he said it was straightforward. easily and seamlessly,” De Sanno said. “With lems in the VA,” De Sanno said. “It’s always “With any IT product, it’s imperative users 170 disparate data centers and environments, nice to be first, but in IT it’s not always a are trained in the solution,” De Sanno said. we couldn’t react as quickly as we need to.” pleasant experience to be first. I can say with “We’re providing education and awareness Two of the regional processing centers RMS, it has been so far.” through factoid documents and a Web pres- are operational, and both are contracted out ence. Classes will begin later, but there is a to the private sector. One on the West Coast significant awareness out there.” is shared with a private-sector company Transitioning Justifying the Cost “We needed to rapidly move ahead with strict measures regarding policy and technology to ensure a harder environment, securitywise, to protect veterans’ data.” 45 http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - April 2008

Government Technology - April 2008 Contents Point of View Big Picture The Last Mile On the Scene Four Questions for... Freeze Frame How Safe Is Your Data? Easy Street Gadget Overload Indiana Overhaul First Person: A Better Bill Data Defense Strength in Numbers Public Storage Products Two Cents Spectrum Personal Computing signal:noise

Government Technology - April 2008

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