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Army Enterprise Service Desk Federation

Thursday, January 7, 2016

What is it?

The Army Enterprise Service Desk (AESD) Federation joins information technology (IT) service desks from across Army commands, Army service component commands, and direct reporting units into one Army enterprise IT service desk framework. Through the AESD Federation, service desks from across the globe will standardize common functions, unique command systems, and application support.

What has the Army done?

In September 2015, the Headquarters, Department of the Army Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6 issued a policy to federate service desks across the Army and tasked the existing NIPRNet and SIPRNet service desks to:

  • (1) Move from an acquisition to a sustainment environment
  • (2) Seek continuous improvement opportunities for enterprise services
  • (3) Explore enterprise-wide opportunities to field standardized services and capabilities

To date, the Federation consists of 12 service desks including the AESD, Army National Guard, the Pentagon, and U.S. Army Reserve Command. Commands in the Pacific, Europe, Southwest Asia, and Korea operate service desks within their own theaters as Federation members. In November 2015, the U.S. Army Recruiting Command began talks to join the Federation as well.

The AESD Federation holds monthly Integrated Project Team meetings and has developed standardized processes for Blackberry 10 and Department of Defense Mobility Unclassified Capability (DMUC) with more in development. The process is used for everyone in the Army who has a BlackBerry 10, Apple, or Android device.

What does the Army have planned for the future?

The AESD Federation will continue its operational efforts with Blackberry 10 and DMUC devices. The Federation is also focusing on critical enabling technologies:

  • (1) Call management system: A single interactive voice response system rather than the individual iterations at each service desk would reduce costs
  • (2) Knowledge management system: Information on issues and the steps used to address them would be shared across the Federation so that each service desk uses the same knowledge base or steps to solve problems
  • (3) Ticket exchange: With the inclusion of a ticket exchange capability, service desks can send all required ticket information to the service desk most equipped to address the issue, greatly improving support for services such as Department of Defense Enterprise Email, BlackBerry 10, and DMUC

Why is this important to the Army?

The AESD Federation is the embodiment of the current hybrid support model for service desks. Federating service desks improves coordination by establishing a network of available resources to:

  • (1) Align IT support with mission requirements
  • (2) Leverage decentralized expertise
  • (3) Improve business value

Resources:

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