DoD Enterprise Software Initiative (ESI) is a joint project originally established to implement a software enterprise management process within DoD. Starting with twenty-three software best practices identified and adopted by the DoD ESI Working Group, DoD ESI has implemented a DoD-wide business process for acquiring, distributing and managing commercial software for the enterprise.
Information Technology (IT) acquisition and contracting professionals within participating DoD Services and Agencies known as Software Product Managers, or SPM’s, negotiate enterprise agreements and support contracting actions. By identifying and pooling DoD-wide requirements for commercial software and presenting a single negotiating position to leading software vendors, DoD ESI purchasing vehicles provide pricing advantages, contract terms, and licensing provisions not otherwise available to individual DoD Services and Agencies. DoD ESI also offers selected IT services, and the team regularly shares information about DoD Component IT hardware enterprise acquisition practices.
DoD ESI is leading implementation of enterprise IT Asset Management (ITAM) capabilities across DoD, in coordination with DoD Components. DoD ESI is represented on the DoD Strategic Sourcing Board of Directors (SSDB), and on the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (FSSI) IT Commodity Team.
The Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Information Officer (CIO) is establishing a DoD Information Technology Asset Management (ITAM) framework for managing the Department’s commercial off the shelf (COTS) Information Technology (IT) hardware and software assets. ITAM originated as the DoD Software Asset Management (SAM) program, which was expanded in 2007 to also include IT hardware and renamed “DoD ITAM.” The program’s objectives include instilling best practices for ITAM across DoD, promoting common ITAM approaches across DoD Components, and providing visibility into the Department’s investments in COTS IT assets using Net-Centric solutions to enable smarter enterprise IT strategy and acquisition decisions.
