FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. — Two years after its inception, the Department of Defense Enterprise Email system reached one million users when a Soldier at Fort Riley, Kan. received a new email account today.
Reaching this milestone means that DoD Enterprise Email (DEE) is now one of the largest independent email systems in the world.
Responsibility for DEE belongs to the Defense Information Systems Agency headquartered here. DISA provides information technology and communications services for DoD.
For the warfighters, using DEE means wherever they are, they can use their email, whenever they need it. It is not necessary to start a new email account when you move or deploy. It is as mobile as the servicemember," said DISA Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronnie Hawkins.
"DEE also supports DoD’s adoption of the Joint Information Environment, as it enables seamless collaboration among the services," Hawkins said.
DEE saves millions of dollars for the department by leveraging the buying power of the entire department. Enterprise services reduce costs by consolidating system hardware requirements and maintenance, eliminating unnecessary and inefficient administration and resource allocation. That means the military services and defense organizations using enterprise services can save money in IT services to preserve more resources for their primary mission.
DoD Enterprise Email also provides joint capabilities that are not available in service-unique or organization-specific email systems, such as being able to access the DoD Global Address List (GAL). All Common Access Card holders, along with their professional contact information, are automatically entered into the GAL. Users can update and maintain their information using MilConnect.
The Army is in the final phase of its migration to DEE, and has migrated 967,000 user accounts to date, according to Army Deputy Chief Information Officer/G-6 Mike Krieger.
Rear Adm. Earl Gay, Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, finds the joint aspects of DEE especially useful for members of his command. "We’ve received superb technical support from DISA," Gay said. "Most importantly, the feedback from our recruiters has been very positive, which is always my primary focus for any IT solution."
According to Kevin Sullivan, Information Technology Director for Navy Recruiting Command, recruiters are pleased with the change. "We use DISA Enterprise Email to supplement NMCI email for our recruiters using the mobile recruiting initiative (MRI) seats," Sullivan said. "This is not only the most cost-effective solution, it also provides our recruiters the flexibility they need in a mobile, dynamic environment."
Navy Recruiting Command migrated to DEE in October.
So with so many users, what happens if the system goes down?
"DEE incorporates built-in redundancies and support to prevent system-wide outages," said Alfred Rivera, Principal Director, Enterprise Services for DISA. "DISA maintains absolute command and control of all enterprise email infrastructure assets."
"We want our warfighters to know that they have the most reliable email system available," said Rivera. "We’ve got their back. We are providing them with the key IT and communication tools they need to conduct their day-to-day mission."
"Mobility is another important advantage of DEE," said John Hale, Chief, Enterprise Applications Office, at DISA. "Our BlackBerry infrastructure is one of the largest in the world with more than 80,000 users. And DEE is accessible on multiple smart phones and tablets through the DoD Mobility pilot."
Currently, DEE is the email service for the Joint Staff, U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command, Army and DISA. With new organizations migrating to DEE, the system is expected to reach 1.5 million users by late summer.
More Information
DISA Public Affairs
Office: 301-225-8100
disa.meade.spi.mbx.disa-pao@mail.mil