DNI ANNOUNCES PHASE-OUT OF UGOV E-MAIL

UNCLAS STATE 109953 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT AADP KRIM SUBJECT: DNI ANNOUNCES PHASE-OUT OF UGOV E-MAIL REFTEL: 09 KABUL 3253 (NOTAL) ¶1. (SBU)On October 2, 2009, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) announced the decision of the Director of the Intelligence Staff, ODNI, to begin termination of the uGov web-based enterprise e-mail system. In compliance with the directive issued October 1, on advice of the Intelligence Community?s Chief Information Office (IC-CIO), the IC-CIO and the IC Enterprises Solutions (ICES) staff will work with the uGov customer community on the transfer of mail records to other accounts. No account will be terminated in the short term, with the goal of closing the uGov e-mail system by the end of FY2011. The current draft timeline envisions that forward-base, operation/theater operators, such as those in PRTs in Afghanistan (ref) and Iraq will be the last users to be phased out, in the second half of FY2011. ¶2. (SBU) While the press reported that the termination was due to security concerns, according to ICES staff, uGov has been a pilot project, with only about 15,500 current users in the intelligence, defense, and broader foreign affairs communities, including the State Department. The present scale of operations and DNI funding limit the total user community to a maximum of 25,000, which cannot meet the total possible demand for accounts. ICES will limit new accounts to those with critical and/or forward deployed mission needs, and some others by exception, up to the ceiling. According to ICES, new accounts established in the next six months will be available for at least a year following their establishment. ¶3. (SBU) ODNI further announced on October 8 that ?a decision was made to gradually phase out uGov unclassified email and implement web-based email within the IC networks. ODNI will migrate uGov email customers to alternate unclassified web- based email services. This transition will not affect access to collaboration services, such as instant messaging, search and discovery, wikis, blogs, document management services, Intellipedia, iVideo and Gallery, currently offered by the ODNI.? ¶4. (SBU) The IC-CIO and ICES are developing a full plan, and will be meeting with the State CIO and other senior Department staff in the near future. The IC CIO reportedly will conduct an ?impact analysis? of this decision and has encouraged State users to participate in this survey. It is important to continue the access for current and new users at least through this fiscal year, including its role as a key component of foreign affairs knowledge management needs in Afghanistan and Iraq. This phase-out period will allow Embassies Kabul, Baghdad, and other embassies to extend OpenNet and better technology to additional desktops, both within State and interagency. ¶5. For more information, contact Robert Watts (wattsrm@state.gov) or John Wysham (wyshamja@state.gov) in the IRM Office of eDiplomacy. ¶6. Minimize Considered. CLINTON