Department of Defense to Open Source
Corporate Management Information System
DISA and OSSI collaborate to expand strategic open source
opportunities for Government IT systems
Washington, DC (Tuesday, 17 March, 2009) – The DoD's Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and the Open Source Software Institute (OSSI) announced today a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between DISA and OSSI, a US-based non-profit membership organization.
Screen shot of deployed OSCMIS on DISA system Click for larger image
The CRADA involves release of an open source version of DISA's internally-developed Corporate Management Information System (CMIS) for the purpose of a collaborative partnership between Government, non-profit organizations, academia and industry to research and develop state-of-the-art capabilities and functionality for DISA software for use by DoD, the Federal Government, state and local governments and the public. The CMIS program is a web-based Federal administrative software suite consisting of more than 50 applications which handles human resource, training, security, acquisition and related functions for DISA's more than 16,000 users worldwide.
* OSCMIS Information Update List (click here to sign up)
-- List will provide updates on OSCMIS news, code release info, service and support resources, training
-- Available to Government, industry, academic, community (feel free to join)
-- Questions are encouraged
* JHU/APL Media Package 03/17/09 (PDF)
-- Information package passed out at NSA/DISA Technology Showcase event. Includes press announcement, sitemap, copy of OSL v.3.0 and OSL v.3.0 licenses
“CMIS is a core product within the DISA's IT system,” said Jack Penkoske, DISA's Director of Manpower, Security and Personnel. “We have a lot invested in the CMIS application suite and numerous other Government agencies have asked if we'd allow them to adopt CMIS for their internal use. We chose a CRADA and open source model so that we could leverage other agencies', academic, industry and the Open Source community's enhancements and modifications to improve DISA's system. We believe this will be a win-win for all involved.”
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“We did not want to re-invent the wheel,” said Richard Nelson, DISA's Chief of Personnel Systems Support Branch at the Manpower, Personnel and Security Directorate.
Click to download PDF version of CRADA
“We knew we had a solid product with CMIS. It is used every day within our system. After we decided the best way to create enhancements and modifications was through a collaborative partnership involving the non-profit sector, academia and industry, we looked for a partner who had experience with Government, specifically DoD, as well as commercial and open source community connections. That's why we chose OSSI," Nelson said. "They've provided technical and open source licensing expertise as well as insights in adoption and distribution strategies. The CRADA vehicle enables us to collaboratively pursue the three foci of research, development and training in support of this project.”
“Creating an open source version of CMIS is important in several ways,” said John Weathersby, executive director of the Open Source Software Institute. “First, software developed by Government employees falls under “public domain.” By distributing the program under an open source license, the Government retains access to the system without having to worry that they'll have to repay for the development of something that was originally created with public funds.
“Secondly, since CMIS is now released under an open source license, commercial, academic and non-profit entities can adopt and support the system, as long as they adhere to the license agreement. The license is available from OSSI, the Open Software License v.3.0,” he said.
“And finally, this demonstrates that the Government is looking forward at ways of using open source as a valuable tool within their IT enterprise,” Weathersby said. “We applaud DISA's foresight and believe it will enhance the viability of the CMIS program. It is a wise use of both technical and economic resources. We look forward to working with DISA and other Government agencies who are joining this effort and will provide a schedule for updates and support services in the coming days.”
The Open Source Software Institute (http://www.oss-institute.org) is a membership-based non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the development and implementation of open source software solutions within US Federal, state and municipal government agencies. OSSI's industry members provide strategic insight, technical expertise and support for all OSSI programs and activities, including the DISA-OSSI CRADA project.
“This is an exciting time in the Government's adoption of open source solutions,” said John Keese, president of Raliegh, NC-based Autonomic Resources and chairman of OSSI's volunteer board of directors. “As a small 8 (A) IT service provider, we love the idea of more agencies, like DISA, beginning to openly adopt and utilize open source solutions. Open source opens doors to businesses like ours.”
"The new DISA-OSSI Open Source CMIS project is another step in the right direction,” said Paul Smith, Vice President of Government Sales Operations for Red Hat, the Government's leading provide of Linux solutions. “For years, Red Hat and OSSI have worked together to promote open source adoption within the Government IT enterprise. This CRADA is an example of the continued momentum among government, industry, academia and the Open Source Community players. It helps demonstrate how the open source model can be adopted to broaden the usefulness of government systems, like CMIS.”
“The US government recently announced a plan to look at ways they could implement open source for cost savings and DISA is leading the way,” said Roger Burkhardt, CEO of Ingres, a leading open source database software and support services provider. “We are pleased to see The New Economics of IT at the heart of the US Department of Defense's IT strategy which means bringing new open source solutions into the IT infrastructure, providing flexibility and innovation at dramatically lowers costs than proprietary solutions. This is welcome news for taxpayers, public sector workers and technology companies who together are committed to delivering innovative solutions to government and providing the very best value to the taxpayer.”
“The Department of Defense plays a huge role in how the rest of the Government adopts and uses technology,” said Bill Vaas, president and COO of Sun Microsystems Federal. “We applaud DISA's efforts and their strategic use of open source to make the CMIS program available across the Government's IT enterprise.”
“Government agencies need a program that they can use as a roadmap to realize benefits of open source, such as cost containment, license management and community involvement,” said Erik Lillestolen, Linux Global Alliances manager, HP. “HP continues participation with the Open Source Software Institute and believes that the program put together by the DISA and OSSI will help to leverage open source for the collective benefit of government agencies.”
About the Defense Information Systems Agency
DISA is a combat support agency for the Department of Defense and provides real-time information technology (IT) and communications support to the president, vice president, secretary of defense, the military services, and all combatant commands. From its Arlington, Va., headquarters and through worldwide field activities, DISA offers IT services and capabilities that enable our nation’s military to accomplish their missions.
About the Open Source Software Institute
The Open Source Software Institute (http://oss-institute.org) is a US-based, non-profit, membership-based organization whose mission is to promote the adoption and implementation of open source software solutions within US Federal, state and municipal government agencies.
For additional information contact John Weathersby at jmw at oss-institute.org.
MEDIA COVERAGE FOR OSCMIS ANNOUNCEMENT:
DISA to open source administrative software
17 March, 2009
National Center for Open Source Policy and Research
