Summer 2007, Vol. 4, Issue 2

Y‑12 delivers IT solutions

When business and government agencies need information technology solutions, they turn to the Y‑12 National Security Complex.

Electronic medical questionnaires save the patient and medical staff about 2 hours of paperwork with each physical exam.

Y‑12's IT group does far more than develop comprehensive solutions for on-site challenges. Through the DOE Complementary Work directive, IT partners to produce technology solutions that are crucial to the protection and efficient operation of the country.

“As new challenges are presented, the IT team applies technical skills and problem-solving expertise,” said Chief Information Officer George Dailey, the team's leader.

Clearance process automated. The Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing system (e‑QIP) was developed for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to automate the collection and review of data for clearance investigations. In 2006, the Office of Management and Budget issued a directive requiring all major clearance granting agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, to use e-QIP for completing the security clearance process. The e-QIP system is an e-Government initiative in support of the President's Management Agenda and is being used at Y‑12 and throughout DOE.

The Fingerprint Transaction System was also developed for OPM. It allows state and federal agencies to submit fingerprints electronically for further processing by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other OPM systems that support the clearance process. Y‑12 uses this system for transmission of fingerprints to OPM.

New tool against terrorism. In early 2005 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began developing the Biological Warning and Incident Characterization system to help public health and emergency management officials prepare for and respond to biological terrorist attacks as well as certain public health threats. Y‑12 is providing cyber security expertise to certify and accredit this system for secure operation.

Cybercrime training offered. The University of Tennessee Law Enforcement Innovation Center provides specialized training and assistance to law enforcement agencies and communities. Working with the Center for Cybercrime Investigation Training, Y‑12 will conduct classes in steganography (the encoding of hidden information) through LEIC's Cybercrime Academy. Law enforcement personnel from around the United States will attend the next class in January.

NWC technology leadership. Because paper medical records are inefficient and difficult to manage, DOE is requiring all medical records to be electronically available by 2015. Y‑12 is developing the Electronic Medical Business Operations System to enable the conversion of all patient medical records into electronic form. EMBOS will be shared within DOE and is a candidate for commercialization to the private sector.

Y‑12 continues to demonstrate extensive experience in cyber security both in computing operations and networking. In June Y‑12 demonstrated the first use within DOE of a specialized secure wireless data-gathering and reporting environment customized for a specific application. Accredited for the transfer of classified information, this implementation greatly reduces the risk of data errors.

Diskless technology is an important strategy for protecting national security by securing workstation information on remote, secure disks, leaving no residual data at the end of processing. Y‑12 pioneered the secure, diskless thick-client technology that is now being adopted at other NWC sites and continues to provide consultation and technical expertise as these sites plan their diskless deployments. In addition, Y‑12 is pursuing a memorandum of understanding with Citrix, Inc. to support prototypical applications for other federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense.

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