AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days 2020 spotlights PEO EIS’s modernization, readiness initiatives

It may have been delayed by seven months and confined to an online format due to COVID-19, but AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days 2020, held Nov. 17-19, was a “virtual success” for PEO EIS with a total of 14 sessions, 34 speakers and nearly 1,000 attendees.

Deputy PEO Keynote

During a keynote address delivered opening day, Brendan Burke, deputy program executive officer for Enterprise Information Systems (EIS), discussed the importance of data as a “strategic asset” driving readiness and said that EIS has a key role to play in maintaining the health of the network and securing information.

“Anyone who’s a data consumer needs to be a data steward,” said Burke, noting that culture change is required to get people to think differently about data and ensure that it’s entered correctly and kept clean and secure.

Burke also cited the “as-a-service” model as a concept that EIS needs to think about more broadly. Besides considering how applications can be designed and fielded as a service, program leaders need to ensure affordability and that service providers can be readily changed if needed.

Asked in which areas the “as-a-service” model is being considered, Burke indicated that there is probably nothing that isn’t under consideration, saying “I wouldn’t take anything off the table.”  

In the cloud space, Burke reported that several PEO EIS programs are moving to the cloud in support of the Army’s modernization priority. EIS is working closely with the Army’s Enterprise Cloud Management Office (ECMO) on the timing of the migrations. At the same time, program leaders are taking a disciplined approach to deciding what data to move to the cloud and how to evaluate success.

“We need to pick the right metrics to measure and hold ourselves accountable,” said Burke.

APEO General Sessions

Following Burke’s keynote, PEO EIS held panel discussions with leaders from its two mission areas. First, Dan Joyce, assistant PEO for Business Mission Area, moderated a panel with the project managers for Army Data and Analytics Platforms (ARDAP), Defense Integrated Business Systems (DIBS) and Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army,  After the project managers provided overviews of their portfolios, Joyce entertained questions, including one on how the PEO’s organizational structure will be changed as programs move to the Army Communications-Electronics Command’s Shared Services Center.

“As we put these systems to sustainment and keep them current … it allows us to refocus our efforts in other areas,” said Joyce. As an example, he noted that the PEO’s consolidation of legacy enterprise resource planning (ERP) programs with DIBS enabled it to free up resources to stand up ARDAP and go after big data.

Next, John Howell, assistant PEO for Networks, Cyber and Services, hosted a panel with the heads of Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems, Defensive Cyber Operations and Enterprise Services. Following a run-through of their portfolios, the panel answered questions about challenges, trends and business opportunities. Asked about the biggest challenges to modernizing the integrated enterprise network (IEN), Howell said the challenge lies in understanding how IEN fits into the bigger picture.

“We don’t necessarily always impact the warfighter,” said Howell, “but at the end of the day, it’s about the warfighter being able to do their job. That requires a lot of support back down to the integrated tactical network, to the IEN, the cloud. IEN is a concept that is tightly linked to the [integrated tactical network] and tactical edge.”

Breakout Sessions

As AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days continued its three-day run, PEO EIS representatives participated in two more panels, including one on acquisition excellence, and eight breakout sessions, including a discussion on Army enterprise cloud management with Paul Puckett, the director of the Army’s ECMO. The briefings from all sessions are available for download on the PEO EIS website. Photos from the event are available on Flickr.

AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days 2021 is scheduled for Nov. 3-5 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, according to Jim Evans, president of AFCEA Belvoir.