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Vice President, Business Development
DoD
HPCMP
TIMPO
U.S. ARMY
U.S. NAVY
U.S. AIR FORCE
The Tri-Service Infrastructure Management Program Office (TIMPO) assigned WCI the task of providing:
This challenge required a comprehensive solution with the flexibility to adapt to both current and future
communications requirements.
What is TIMPO
The Tri-Service Infrastructure Management Program Office (TIMPO) in Falls Church, Virginia, reports to and provides communication and computing infrastructure, implementation planning, and development support to the Joint Medical Information Systems (JMIS) Office of the TRICARE Management Activity for the Military Health System (MHS).
TIMPO’s Requirements
The effective performance of the TRICARE mission depends on highly secure and efficient communications within and between all medical treatment facilities (MTF’s). This environment requires the extension of the MHS Automated Information System services between Army, Navy and Air Force installations and to managed care contractors within and between MHS medical regions. To meet this mission TIMPO is upgrading Department of Defense (DoD) -wide medical treatment facility (MTF) Local Area Networks to meet stated requirements of the JMIS Office.
Work Performed by WCI
1. IA
WCI INFOSEC engineers researched and developed engineering plans to formulate a best-fit security posture
for the medical treatment facilities (MTF). This work included installation and configuration of the following
devices:
2. COI
WCI network engineers gathered data about existing circuits from the Medical Facility to the outside world
as well from the Medical Facility to its Medical Clinic. This data was the basis by which the engineers
determined if anything should be done to insure available bandwidth for the Medical Facility. A detailed
engineering plan was developed, consisting of hardware changes or additions, rerouting of circuits, and/or
increasing circuit throughput, as needed.
3. CHCS II Server
The CHCS II Server hosts the second-generation electronic medical record system for DoD service members. WCI network engineers gathered information about rack usage, power requirements and space usage from the Medical Facility. After this information was gathered the engineers went to each site to install the CHCS II Server and all supporting servers that monitor the CHCS II Server and network communications.
4. LAN Upgrade
WCI network engineers conducted a site survey to gather information about the Medical Facility’s existing internal network. After reviewing the collected data, WCI engineers looked for ways to improve the internal network design. At the clients request, WCI engineers wrote an engineering plan with their findings and/or suggested design plans. The engineers then implemented the engineering plan, which involved replacing, upgrading, and reconfiguring core switches, and adding existing switches as necessary.
Overall WCI Support
WCI engineers were responsible for the evaluation, research, and selection of the most cost effective and efficient solution for the task at hand. When selecting a product (hardware/software), engineers first performed a thorough review; this review was the basis for the selection of the environment in which the product would run best (i.e. operating system or hardware). Once the product and the environment were determined, WCI engineer’s conducted a vulnerability assessment. The engineers also reviewed the vendor’s documentation and other sources. This attention to detail and planning ensured minimal downtime and reduced the likelihood of an unforeseen event arising. WCI engineers were responsible for installing the device on site, configuring the device to insure that it was running correctly for the site’s environment, and training the client's staff on all aspects of working with the device. The engineers also provided phone support to the Medical Facility for the device should problems occur after the installation was complete. In addition, the team was responsible for continued research of any vulnerabilities that became known after the device was fielded. When a vulnerability with a device was found, the engineer informed the client and appropriate actions were taken to eliminate the vulnerability.
Navigating through the Federally Mandated Guidelines and Standards
With numerous federal guidelines covering everything from paper reduction to privacy, it is easy to get lost in
the ever expanding “rule book”. WCI understands this, and has the appropriate personnel in place to ensure
that our clients meet all of the applicable federal guidelines. Some of the standards
and directives that WCI staff had to work within when addressing TIMPO’s requirements were:
