For Immediate Release
September 13, 2005
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Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
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FBI
RESPONDS TO GAO REPORT ON THE FBI'S INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EFFORTS TO
DEVELOP AN ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE
Washington, D.C .
-- The FBI released the following statement with regard to the Government
Accountability Office's (GAO) report, titled: "FBI is Taking Steps to
Develop an Enterprise Architecture, But Much Remains to be Accomplished."
The FBI appreciates the
GAO's assessment and feedback on its Enterprise Architecture (EA) program
development as well as its recognition that important progress has been made
in the past eighteen months. The GAO has developed guidelines that assess
and determine the viability of each government organization's EA design for
their information technology (IT) systems. The GAO's report identifies the
best practices necessary for an organization to have an effective architecture
program and the FBI concurs with these best practice guidelines. The FBI
has reviewed the report and its recommendations and will continue to strive
towards the development of a robust EA program.
The FBI's Office of IT
Policy and Planning has made significant strides in attaining major EA milestones
for the Bureau in the past eighteen months. The group established a process
to move the EA maturity level from Stage 1 to Stage 3 and has developed additional
goals to ensure success of the program.
An EA serves as a blueprint
for an organization's IT infrastructure. In the overall picture of EA design
government-wide, the FBI has made significant progress with its EA development
as it has approached Stage 3 competence, in a 5-stage scale, in 18 months.
The GAO recognized that the FBI is in compliance with 16 out of 32 elements
necessary for a mature, Stage 5 EA. This is a significant improvement over
the GAO's 2003 assessment. It is expected that the FBI's EA will reach Stage
5 and complete all necessary criteria in 2007. From that point, the FBI will
continue to ensure the architecture properly reflects the Bureau's evolving
mission and business practices. While the existing EA continues to advance,
it now provides a clear roadmap to help the FBI more effectively develop
systems that directly support its mission.
Currently, the FBI is
in the approval process for its EA development methodology documentation,
which once approved will ensure that each component follows the same set
of guidelines. The FBI is also adding personnel to its EA Program Office.
Once the documentation and personnel requirements are fulfilled, the FBI
will be in compliance with each element required by the GAO's guidelines
for Stage 3 competence.
Chief Information Officer
Zalmai Azmi stated: "The FBI recognizes the importance of an effective
EA and will continue working towards the development of a mature architecture.
Compared to entities in both the public and private sectors, we have made
significant progress over the past eighteen months -- especially considering
our security protocols, complex IT systems and business practices. We appreciate
the GAO's guidance and look forward to working with them through the EA's
development process."
For more information
on the FBI's IT modernization efforts and progress in implementing the recommendations
in the GAO report, please see the FBI's formal response, attached to the
report. The FBI's formal response can also be found on our website at www.fbi.gov.
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