Defense
Pentagon CIO issues IT services directive
- By Sean Lyngaas
- Jan 04, 2016
Defense Department CIO Terry Halvorsen has issued a directive requiring defense agencies to use a departmentwide framework for implementing and managing IT services.
The Dec. 24, 2015, memo reaffirms the DOD Enterprise Service Management Framework as the baseline by which defense agencies should measure their IT performance.
"IT services will be defined, categorized, published and measured based on the DESMF," the memo states. It covers service management standards "that enable conformance to objectives, integrated operations, audit and capability assessment."
The framework, an evolving document that is updated at least annually, is central to Halvorsen's effort to standardize how military agencies with varied IT footprints measure progress. According to the memo, the framework will include supplemental guidance to support agencies as they adopt IT service management best practices.
The goal is to use the framework as a rubric for improving the way agencies deliver IT services. Agency heads are responsible for measuring the quality of those services at least annually or whenever called upon by the CIO.
About the Author
Sean Lyngaas is an FCW staff writer covering defense, cybersecurity and intelligence issues. Prior to joining FCW, he was a reporter and editor at Smart Grid Today, where he covered everything from cyber vulnerabilities in the U.S. electric grid to the national energy policies of Britain and Mexico. His reporting on a range of global issues has appeared in publications such as The Atlantic, The Economist, The Washington Diplomat and The Washington Post.
Lyngaas is an active member of the National Press Club, where he served as chairman of the Young Members Committee. He earned his M.A. in international affairs from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and his B.A. in public policy from Duke University.
Click here for previous articles by Lyngaas, or connect with him on Twitter: @snlyngaas.