New system unveiled
The Laboratory is conducting an inventory of its unclassified computer software beginning this month and a new tool was developed to assist divisions with the inventory.
The Software Inventory Management System (SWIMS) was developed to track software as part of a Software Quality initiative, said Charlotte Lindsey, the Lab’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) who developed the tool.
Lab divisions are asked to determine an entry person(s) and assign SWIMS authorities (Software Inventory Entry in MyLANL). These entry personnel will then have access with their crypto-card to input software inventory information based on division-granted authorities, said Lindsey. The SWIMS tool is scheduled to be available this week.
The inventory of unclassified software is being done to conform with the Software Quality Management (SQM) Laboratory Implementation Requirement (LIR) 308-00-05 and to create and maintain an inventory of all software developed, modified, or acquired by the Laboratory that is not included in the ESD system, said Lindsey.
“The primary purpose for the software inventory is to understand the information technology assets that [the Laboratory] currently manages, protect our capital investments and to establish an effective IT asset management program. An institutional inventory will provide the basis for improved software engineering processes, cost savings by site licensing, software and code reuse and ensuring users obtain the best ‘software’ value,” said Lindsey.
Lindsey said the Lab plans to develop a classified version of SWIMS at a later date. Classified software will need to be inventoried and graded as per the Risk Based Graded Approach (RBGA) and forms filed following Lab classified procedures.
The Lab's Software Quality Management program will be part of the grading for the Appendix F performance measures rating this year. As a performance measure in Appendix F 8.3, divisions must have all unclassified software as defined in the SQM LIR identified, graded and inventoried. All unclassified software inventory data must also be entered into the Laboratory SWIMS database. This inventory also was identified as a milestone in the Operational Efficiency project for software quality assurance, Lindsey noted.
SWIMS input training classes are scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m., and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., daily during the week of April 11 in the Training Room in the Tri-Square Building, Technical Area 00, Building 1246 on Trinity Drive. All participants must have SWIMS (SIENT) authorities assigned, bring their crypto-card and example material, including RBGA worksheet to use for entry into SWIMS. Users should know what operating system they will be using when doing SWIMS entry.
Seating is limited for the classes. Call Jeanette LaGrange of Scientific Software Engineering (CCN-12) at 5-1360 to reserve a seat.