U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is one of several DOD organizations using the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) newest online collaboration capability, Defense Collaboration Services (DCS).
“We’re seeing the number of meetings held on DCS increase every day,” said Karl Kurz, DISA’s DCS program manager. “Once people use it for the first time, they see how easy it is to set up a meeting and invite participants.”
USTRANSCOM transitioned to DCS in mid-February and users at all levels, including the commander, Air Force Gen Paul Selva, have hosted online meetings using the tool. The command has been one of the earliest broad-scale adopters of the service.
Use of the tool DOD-wide has increased 50 percent in the past week, Kurz said. In the past month, approximately 30,000 meetings have been conducted via DCS.
DISA is urging individuals and organizations across DOD to transition all of their meetings DCS prior to May 30.
The collaboration tool replaces the agency’s prior service offering, Defense Connect Online (DCO), which is scheduled to shut down when the current contract ends on June 24, 2015.
DCS enables collaboration and communication on both the Non-secure Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNET) and Secure Internet Protocol Routing Network (SIPRNET). It provides:
-- Web Conferencing (session management, text messaging, presentations, application sharing/broadcasting, audio, presence and awareness, voting/polling, video, and recording).
-- Instant messaging/room-based chat.
Account registration is not required; users can authenticate with a Common Access Card (CAC) or Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) hard token. Moderator-validated guest access is permitted.
Detailed information regarding DCS is provided in the DISA Service Catalog and this fact sheet.
DOD users can find a number of transition resources, including live training sessions on the DCS portal https://www.dcs.apps.mil.