NMCI Deploys Collaboration Software
Published, March 25, 2009
NMCI has begun deploying software associated with collaboration tools offered through the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The software is being delivered to users via a Radia software push. As a result, users will begin to see Jabber and IBM Sametime chat programs in their “start programs” menu. These tools are intended to increase connectivity and collaboration across the DoD enterprise. Users who do not see these programs in their “start programs” menu are in line to have them pushed shortly.
The chat programs are part of a suite of tools available through DISA as part of their Net-Centric Enterprise Services. DISA has procured two commercially managed services to meet DoD enterprise collaboration requirements. As a result, NMCI users are able to utilize web-based services to collaborate with users across the DoD and are encouraged to take advantage of both services. Once the software has been pushed, in order to log in to the chat programs, users will need to register for the services via the web sites listed below.
eCollabcenter (or Button 1) can be accessed via https://www.e-collabcenter.com and is built on an IBM Lotus Sametime platform that includes web conferencing and instant messaging capabilities. Defense Connect Online (also known as DCO or Button 2) is available at https://www.dco.dod.mil and includes Adobe Acrobat Connect and Jabber Instant Messenger.
As stated in the NMCI User Alert sent out on March 6, both programs include the following capabilities:
Web Conferencing: Supports one-to-one and one-to-many Web conferencing sessions. Allows white-boarding and annotation for all session participants (e.g., image sharing and image annotation).
Person Discovery Capabilities: Securely allows use of a global directory service to find registered DoD users within the DISA NCES Collaboration network.
Instant Messaging: Provides the capability in a secure environment for users across the DoD operating on different workstations to initiate and participate in text exchange. It also allows users to see the status of who is available online and set their own availability status.
Collaborative Workspaces: Provides a place where a group of users can publish, manage, retrieve and share information of all file types.
Application Sharing: Allows authorized users the ability to share an application running on a user's workstation simultaneously with other users.
Application Broadcasting: Allows users to select either an application or a portion of their desktop that they can broadcast to all members of the collaboration session.
More information is available at the DISA web site: http://www.disa.mil/nces/product_lines/collaboration.html.
Additional information can also be found on the NMCI Homeport web site: https://www.homeport.navy.mil/support/topics/collaboration-tools and https://www.homeport.navy.mil/training/software/collaboration-tools/