DISA delivers new version of Enterprise Portal Service to SIPRNet

The Defense Information Systems Agency has delivered the second iteration of the DOD Enterprise Portal Service on the Secret IP Network (SIPRNet). Version 2.0 of DEPS, as it’s known, went live Feb. 28, DISA said.

The first version of DEPS replaced Defense Knowledge Online after it was shut down in May 2013, as part of DOD’s transition to a new set of collaboration tools. DISA said the new version for the Unclassified IP Network (NIPRNet) will be available in the third quarter of this fiscal year.

DEPS 2.0, a scalable, cloud-based collaboration tool built on Microsoft SharePoint, has dedicated and shared services, giving users a choice of which services best suit their needs, while allowing for customization.

Among the services it offers:

• Shared document libraries, calendars, task lists, blogs, and workflows.
• Global, anytime access to shared resources.
• Access to the highly secure Defense Enterprise Computing Centers, which consolidate administrative, hardware, and software resources.

DEPS 2.0 “will offer the ability to select shared or dedicated operating environments, while adhering to the principles of an enterprise service and delivering operational and budgetary efficiencies for the DOD,” said Alan Lewis, DISA’s program executive officer for enterprise services.

DEPS 2.0 offers three standard sizes of user environments, starting with one designated as Medium, for up to 50,000 users with 1 terabyte of storage. The Large size accommodates up to 100,000 users, with 2 T of storage, and Extra-Large handles up to 200,000 users, with 4 T of storage. Additional storage is available, as if the option of adding approved, third-party tolls, DISA said.

DOD started planning to move away from DKO, a Defense Department-wide outgrown of Army Knowledge Online, after users began showing a preference for SharePoint instead of DKO. DISA responded with the Enterprise Portal Services Branch, intended to provide file sharing, access to other enterprise services, and a marketplace for mobile applications and widgets.

Although DKO was shuttered last year, the Army said AKO would reamin operational, with users being transitioned to DEPS over the next several years.