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Make HSIN More Responsive, IG Says |
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by Mickey McCarter
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Friday, 05 December 2008 |
Some users unhappy with limits of the information-sharing network
The information-sharing network of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must do a better job of meeting its customers needs, concluded a report from the department's inspector general (IG) released Thursday.
The IG report, titled "DHS' Efforts to Improve the Homeland Security Information Network" (HSIN), found widespread dissatisfaction with the capabilities of the data network from state and local officials searching it for information. The department is upgrading the HSIN to its next generation version, which it argues will resolve many of the concerns about the existing network.
"DHS needs to identify HSIN's users and determine their information sharing requirements," the report reads. "Lacking a good understanding of the HSIN user community, DHS has been unable to define the information sharing process or provide adequate user support. In addition, although HSIN stakeholders report increased use of the tool within states, nationwide information sharing remains limited."
The report recommends that DHS provide resources to improve relationships with its HSIN users and provide them with adequate opportunities to provide feedback on the network. The department also should develop scenario-based training for stakeholders, include performance metrics in any future HSIN developments, and make clear how it uses the information in HSIN.
DHS has spent about $69 million on developing the HSIN since the establishment of the department, according to a February 2008 report. It received an additional $21 million in fiscal 2008.The DHS Office of Operations Coordination and Planning (OPS), which is responsible for monitoring threats across the 50 US states and their major urban centers, manages the HSIN network as its primary means for doing so.
OPS has begun phasing in the HSIN Next Gen, meanwhile, staggering users onto the new network. The new network offers increased information interoperability and security.
But some HSIN customers have been using different systems because the original HSIN did not address their needs, according to the IG report. The DHS Office of Information and Analysis (I&A) has developed its own separate network with the Homeland Security State and Local Intelligence Community (HS SLIC).
"I&A officials said that HS SLIC grew from the intelligence community's lack of confidence in HSIN's ability to provide a secure, trusted environment in which they could share sensitive information," the report says. "Although these stakeholders provided their requirements for additional security to the HSIN program office, the HSIN platform was unable to meet their needs."
Users of the HS SLIC portal have expressed confidence that its managers are responsive to their concerns and keep their data secure.
In an example of state authorities dissatisfied with the HSIN, two of Florida's seven law enforcement regions are contemplating abandoning the HSIN because they would like a system that provides them with more local control and fresh Web capabilities, such as alerts and messaging.
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Mickey McCarter |
| About the author: |
| eNewsletter Editor/Senior Washington Correspondent,
is a journalist with more than a decade of experience in reporting
on
military affairs and information technology.
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