DOD and its Security

DOD and its Security

I am currently a detective who works for the Department of Defense and work out of an office in Colorado Springs, CO on Fort Carson. The Department of Defense is unique in its ability to provide services on its installation and its security and database services are unlike the corporate world has ever seen. The Department of Defense typically sets the standard with regards to systems and their security which in this day and age is a requirement not just a nice thing to have.
The infrastructure of Fort Carson is very typical to any post so if you are involved in the corporate world let me explain this very simply. Fort Carson uses a host of IP’s which have been requisitioned through Qwest the local carrier and has its own internal IP’s which are used for intranet information carrying, as soon as you exit the intranet you are given one of the external IP’s and allowed to exit to only harmless sites. The availability to download programs, change settings, and visit certain sites are negated by the security assurance office which is controlled by DOIM, Directorate of Information Management, basically the strong arm of any and all communication within and outside of the installation. DOIM provides a host of services which include database creation with the use of Microsoft Access, Service Pack updates only after being beta tested for a number of months and24 hr emergency services to correct connection issues regarding work stations.
The infrastructure of Fort Carson like most other installations of the Department of Defense relies heavily on the Microsoft Outlook to provide its users with email capability. The most important service DOIM provides to its users is the certificates to access workstation. The certificates are placed on a CAC Card or card containing a small chip which is loaded with specific information and permissions for the user. This is probably the best information assurance technique any company can use simply because it meets to of the...