Information Technology

The NBC Information Technology Directorate focuses on its long-term, client-oriented relationship with the following commitments:

• Provide a reliable, responsive, and affordable processing environment for our customers with an emphasis on quality of service.
• Maintain a stable, highly skilled workforce to deliver premier support and services.

The Enterprise Infrastructure Division is responsible for providing Data Center management, operations, communications, and customer services support for the automated administrative systems operating at the National Business Center. The Division also provides data center services through service bureau relationships with other clients. The NBC is an OMB-designated franchising provider of automated administrative services and Data Center processing services. The NBC Data Center provides customer support 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

In addition to providing computer operations management of its own systems, NBC offers data center application hosting (including Web site hosting) and disaster recovery services to Federal agencies through service bureau relationships. These services include hosting on mainframe, UNIX midtier, and Windows or Linux-based INTEL platforms; a full range of storage options; data communications; and customer support.

NBC operates data centers in Denver, CO and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and can provide hosting and/or disaster recovery services in either location. For customers with high availability requirements, their applications can also be load balanced across the two centers as two active production instances, or managed in a Production/Disaster Recovery failover configuration between the two centers.

All NBC data center hosting services provide the following characteristics:

• Security - Physical and logical security management within a fully Certified and Accredited General Support System infrastructure, including: 24x7 video monitoring of build and computer rooms; personnel background investigations; Intrusion Protection Systems (network and host); virus protection; regular vulnerability scans and assessments; etc.
• Availability - 24x7 on-site customer support, around the clock technical support; active data backup and Disaster Recovery Program; formal problem and change management programs; etc.
• Reliability - Uninterruptible Power Supply; diesel generator backup power; dual, failover power feeds to equipment; redundancy in air conditioning and humidity control equipment; complete set of alarms and monitors; etc.
• Maintainability - Internal redundancy within strategic server and data storage equipment; high speed self-healing network connectivity with redundant service feeds; automated “health and well being” monitoring on servers, communications devices, data bases, etc.

NBC has operated computer facilities for over 20 years and has a full range of operating procedures and management controls. Internal controls within the NBC IT environment are validated through FISCAM and SAS-70 Type II audits each year.

As opposed to many of the “standardized” hosting services provided by other commercial and Federal providers, NBC makes a concerted effort to understand customer requirements and to mutually develop solution architectures that fully address client needs while leveraging existing NBC infrastructure as completely as possible. NBC’s model provides a means by which customers can receive the services that they need in a very cost effective manner.

The NBC IT Directorate is always happy to respond to customer inquiries and to provide proposals and quotes for new or extended services. For additional information on services available through the NBC IT Directorate, please contact June Hartley, Chief Information Officer, at (303) 969-7465 or through E-mail at June_Hartley@nbc.gov.