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| Home > Info Centre > Publications > Alert 1998 > Information Technology – The Way Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The latter part of the 20th century has been described as the ‘Information Era’ and the JDF intends to leverage the full benefits of today’s Information Technology (IT) to effectively achieve its goals. In the near future IT will play an increasingly strategic role in the JDF. The JDF has always recognised the value of computer technology and has pioneered the deployment of computer systems such as the IBM System 36, first acquired in 1983. The second and larger System 36 acquired in 1987 has given yeoman service to the JDF. Plans for its successor began in 1996 and 1998 will see the introduction of the latest IBM AS/400 minicomputer as its replacement. This will be the beginning of the implementation of a comprehensive JDF IT Upgrade Plan. The Plan is a comprehensive Management Information System (MIS) based on developing a secure Client/Server topology centred around the IBM AS/400, connected to a Wide Area Network (WAN) built by fibre-optic cabling that links the Local Area Networks (LANs) in Up Park Camp. Wireless and/or dial-up facility will link the outstations to the system. This Plan is expected to fulfil the MIS requirement of the units of the Force so that collectively, the JDF can more efficiently perform its operational roles and better manage its resources. These resources cover personnel, finances, intelligence, stores and material, camps and building infrastructure, transport and equipment, amongst others. Budgetary constraints coupled with increased operational demands present formidable challenges to the JDF, both for now and the perceived future. This challenge can be best met with an IT infrastructure that supports the decision-making and communication process. The new IT landscape The aim of the JDF IT Upgrade Plan is to provide the right information to the right persons, at the right time, in the right form, in a secure manner. Information should flow, faster, and more secure, up and down the chain of command. To achieve this end, the plan will provide the means to centrally accumulate and store operational and administrative information. This information would then be collated, analysed and summarised to provide structured concise reports to assist the decision-making process. This year will usher in a new era in the deployment of IT within the JDF. The present system of separate data processing, storage and paper-based distribution will undergo modernisation. The processing and distribution of information (as opposed to data) will no longer be considered separate functions. Collaborative workflow, secure centralised storage and management, remote access and distributed networks dictate the present IT landscape and the JDF is mindful of this in the development of its plans. Several manual, form-based systems presently utilised by the JDF are to be gradually phased out and replaced with automated work flow systems or enhanced by in-house database applications. The IBM AS/400 The IBM 600 series AS/400 is the centre-piece of the JDF IT Upgrading Plan. This machine has consistently topped all competitors in the distributed systems hardware and database management category. The AS/400 will provide processing capability far in excess of our present systems, coupled with the connectivity and communication facility to support a Force-wide IT architecture. In addition, the AS/400 will provide massive storage capability with all the necessary security built in to the system.
The decision to acquire an AS/400 was taken after exhaustive deliberation. It was agreed that the computer’s strengths – ease of management, power, flexibility, smooth upgradeability, cost-effectiveness and security – made it ideal for our purposes. The AS/400 will also provide a smooth migration path for the applications presently being run on the System/36 located at the HQ JDF Information Systems Centre. AS/400’s reliability is unsurpassed, with an incredible record of 99.78% uptime as documented by International Data Corporation. AS/400’s unique architecture provides the most robust reliability in the market. If a specific application should fail, AS/400 guarantees uninterrupted performance for other applications. The AS/400 600 series e-server embraces leading Web technologies, extended simplicity, extended service and support, and enables it all at breakthrough performance. This platform will support a Force-wide Intranet to take the JDF forward in the 21st century. The JDF Intranet will provide online, authenticated access to, and interact with, information resident within the AS/400 databases, independent of the user’s location, as well as provide another means of communicating and disseminating information through secure e-mail. Fibre-optic cabling The Fibre-Optic Data Distribution System (FDDS) will provide the communication backbone of a WAN that connects the LANs through Up Park Camp into the AS/400. This connectivity will be efficient, cost-effective and secure, with a high-capacity throughout and a low cost of change and growth. The design of this fibre-optic cabling system will provide redundant paths to each wired location so as to improve the reliability, resilience and fault tolerance of the WAN. Wireless and/or dial-up remote access facility will connect the outstations to the AS/400 and the FDDS. Local Area Networks Secure, independent but interconnected networks will support units and major sub-units of the Force. Rigid security implementation will ensure only authenticated access within the units as well as allow remote access from other location. All present systems of access and authority to view and/or modify documents will be maintained. Ownership of information will reside with the unit that generated it and access to and distribution of this information will be with their permission only. IT support for the operational, logistic and administrative functions of the Force will be provided by custom-made application developed in-house by the HQ JDF Information Systems Centre. The more than 30 identified mission-critical applications will be converted to run on the AS/400. In addition to this, the use of new workflow-based applications, such as Lotus Notes, will begin to gradually transform the JDF into a less paper-dependent Force as we go forward into the 21st century. JDF’s Web Site January 29, 1998 will be remembered as the day the JDF officially launched itself into Cyberspace with formal opening of its Web Site at www.jdfmil.org. The launch was well supported, with the Chief of Staff, Senior Officers, several members of the JDF family, invited guests and the media in attendance. The Web Site is designed to satisfy the interest of a target audience that would include the online Jamaican community, serving and former members of the JDF, potential recruits, civilian and military Websurfers, academia, military suppliers and friendly Forces. As the JDF looks towards the 21st century, technology and certainly the technology that drives the Internet will be incorporated in a constructive manner to assist the Force to effectively fulfil its various roles. The lessons learned from building the JDF Web Site will assist in the construction of a seamless Force-wide Intranet built on the secure IBM 600 series AS/400 E-server. This infrastructure will place unprecedented Information processing and distribution capability at our disposal. Our venture into Cyberspace with the construction and launch of the JDF Web Site is therefore the herald of the JDF Information Technology drive forward.
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