SOO_final as of 6 Aug 21.pdf

AFRC Enterprise IT

SOO

Statement of Objectives for

HQ AFRC/A6 Enterprise Information

Technology (IT) Services

AUGUST 2021

Contents

1. Purpose 3

2. Scope 3

3. Period and Place of Performance 3

4. Background 3

5. Current Environment 4

6. Objectives 6

7. Constraints 8

8. Requirements Cross-Reference 9

1. Purpose HQ AFRC/A6 seeks to obtain industry input and recommendations on IT enhancements and innovation opportunities that may improve HQ AFRC/A6’s IT service delivery. This information will assist the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) with incorporating future needs into the labor strategy for IT support functions such as help desk, infrastructure, cyber security, enterprise architecture, and IT program management that are covered under the AFRC Enterprise IT service contract. (Note: This current effort is for information gathering regarding innovation opportunities. AFRC is not seeking proposals for actual AFRC Enterprise IT contract at this time. Vendors should continue to monitor BetaSam for the RFP related to the new contract.)

2. Scope HQ AFRC/A6 is specifically looking for innovative ways to inject new or improved technologies and/or capabilities (to include equipment, connectivity, labor, etc.) related to these areas:

- End user IT experience for office and remote work for all Reserve users, to include access to mission mobile support

- Mission critical and emergency communications with interagency and local government interoperability

- Secure mobile capabilities with remote access to the Defense Information System Agency (DISA) classified Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet)

This input will be used to inform the strategy for all areas within the scope of the Enterprise IT contract, to include Infrastructure support, network operations, AFRC Cloud support, IT capabilities management, help desk/customer support, cyber security, enterprise architecture, program management, cyber workforce management, IT asset management, and other IT support functions.

3. Period and Place of Performance The base Period of Performance of the Enterprise IT contract is expected to be 12 months from the date of award with four additional 1 year options. Target start date is 29 Sep 2022. Services will be provided at HQ AFRC (Robins), AFRC hosts bases, and several tenant locations. (Reminder: this effort is for information gathering. The Request for Proposal for the AFRC Enterprise IT contract will be released on BetaSam at a later date.)

4. Background HQ AFRC/A6 provides IT equipment, capabilities, and services for approximately 70k personnel in the AF Reserve, to include government civilians, full-time and part-time military members, and contractors.

Some active duty Air Force users of AFRC capabilities are also supported. Generally, vision, direction, and equipment purchases are managed by AFRC personnel, with support and maintenance provided by a variety of contracts, including the AFRC Enterprise IT contract that focuses on Infrastructure support, network operations, AFRC Cloud support, IT capabilities management, help desk/customer support, cyber security, enterprise architecture, program management, cyber workforce management, IT asset management, and other IT support functions.

HQ AFRC/A6 is preparing to re-compete the AFRC Enterprise IT labor services contract and desires to consider and accommodate new, changing, or innovative technology opportunities that might impact the labor services to be covered by the new contract.

There are 3 major areas of innovation interest for HQ AFRC/A6:

- End user computing experience: Air Force Reserve (AFR) personnel, including a significant part-time force who often need to manage duty when not located at AF site, must be supported by desktop computing capabilities to access common user services such as email, office productivity, collaboration tools, and print services, as well applications and data supporting the wide variety of AF missions AFRC supports. COVID has also driven a significant expansion of need for remote work for all AFRC members. The traditional approach of thick devices, mostly connected through wired infrastructure, mixed with mission specific devices dedicated to single functions, inhibits reservist access to data and leads to large costs for infrastructure, tech refreshes, and support so AFRC is moving to cloud-based, mobile, device agnostic services to improve the user experience and reduce support costs.

- Mission critical and emergency communications: AFRC has primarily relied on a standalone AFRC Enterprise Land Mobile Radio (ELMR) System and approximately 6300 LMR devices (portable, mobile, and consolette) to provide secure mobile and fixed point to point/broadcast for Land Mobile Radio (LMR) voice communications in support of day-to-day and emergency communications by Security Forces and first responders at (9) locations. However, integration constraints and costly equipment technical refreshes is leading AFRC to seek more effective alternatives for emergency communication capabilities.

- Secure mobile connectivity to SIPRNet: SIPRNet mobile devices are deployed to accommodate expanded telework requirements during COVID in providing classified Cellphone (secure voice and e-mail) and classified Laptop {secure data, e-mail and voice (Jabber)} capabilities with ultimate goal of integration into a mobile Enterprise SIPRNet solution.

5. Current Environment The AFRC Enterprise IT contract is anticipated to provide the following services:

- Network architecture engineering and cyber transport services for the entire AFRC enterprise consisting of HQ AFRC and 11 AFRC hosts bases on NIPR and SIPR. This includes the wide area network (WAN) architecture supporting AFRC data centers, backbones, cloud initiatives, and mission data traversing the WAN. The AFRC enterprise comprises approximately 1,700 infrastructure devices (predominantly Cisco) on NIPR and SIPR across the HQ AFRC and AFRC host bases. Devices include, but are not limited to, TACLANES, switches, routers, Unified Communications (UC), and authentication servers. Also included are approximately 25K Cisco Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Voice over Secure IP (VOSIP) devices.

- NIPR/SIPR daily file storage, backup, replication and restoration process for AFRC. Also, supports an enterprise Information Continuity of Operations Capability (I-COOP), enabling the replication of data between AFRC bases to support continuity of operations.

- Management of the AFRC NIPR/SIPR environment consisting of approximately 30 Domain Controllers and 25,000 workstations on NIPR, and 10 Domain Controllers and 600 workstations on SIPR.

- Management of AFRC virtualization environment consisting of 35 VMware suites and approximately 1000 virtual servers, supporting virtual desktop services.

- Monitoring of 750 servers, 15 systems, and 206 infrastructure devices across 12 locations on NIPR, and approximately 150 servers and 40 infrastructure devices at 11 bases for SIPR.

- Help desk support for a user population of approximately 25,000 regular users and up to 70,000 users during peak times.

- Mobile management via VMware’s Airwatch and other Mobile Device Management (MDM) capabilities for 20,000 devices primarily cell phones, iPads, and tablets.

- Print management for 45 print servers and approximately 2000 multifunction printers (predominantly Lexmark).

- IT program management to ensure AFRC IT programs adhere to cost, schedule, and performance parameters

- Scheduling, planning, and managing VTC operations

- Performing IT asset management in accordance with Air Force Manual (AFMAN) 17-1203

- Planning and monitoring Internet Protocol television (IPTV) services

- SharePoint design and operations

- Completing information assurance requirements for AFRC systems and enclaves

- Proving enterprise architecture artifacts and recommendation

- Spectrum management

- Operating the AFRC parcel center

The current environment specific to the areas of innovation interest:

- End user IT environment: The AFRC end user environment is heavily supported by VMware virtualization and Dell/EMC storage and compute capabilities provided by the AFRC Cloud.

While in-office at an AFRC location, most AFRC users currently rely on a zero client device connected to the wired AF infrastructure to access their virtual profile and standard AF desktop configuration (SDC). Some in-office users may also utilize government mobile devices connected via commercial wifi. This provides email, office productivity, collaboration capabilities through Teams and Jabber, print, access to shared drives, voice services via soft phones, and access to most mission systems. This virtual approach enhances security and greatly reduces labor for patching and mitigating security vulnerabilities. A few in-office users still rely on traditional desktops and/or laptops due to mission systems that have not yet, or cannot be, virtualized. For work away from the office, AFRC is migrating from the older, much more vulnerable approach of laptops and VPN to utilize AFRC’s Desktop Anywhere (DA) capability, which leverages the HorizonView client to launch a virtual desktop on any windows, IOS, or Android device (with Chrome devices also being tested). Though COVID drove the initial expansion of telework within AFRC, it is envisioned the future work environment of AFRC will continue to rely significantly on remote work. Desktop Anywhere supports AFRC’s expanded telework need by enabling AFRC users to remotely access all the capabilities of their desktop via either a personal device or a government device using commercial wireless connectivity.

Desktop Anywhere also enables the use of soft phones and Jabber to provide users with DSN phone service even when away from the office. Additionally, AFRC implemented an Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) suite to extend our Desktop as a Service (DaaS), AF/AFRC business applications, and mission applications to our aircrews and maintainers to their mobile tablets and phones. The attached presentation describes the key products and capabilities AFRC is currently relying on to provide the end user desktop experience and the anticipated evolution over the next few years to hoteling and shared workspaces.

- Mission critical and emergency communications: The ELMR system foundation consists of radios (portables and mobile), dispatch consoles, data applications, and RF sites (conventional or trunked) supporting nine installations. The LMR/ELMR program is costly to maintain w/ tech refresh every 5-8 years, is growing 10% per year and does not integrate well with other communication technologies. Approximately 5k LMRs will be purchased per year for the next 3 years. Capabilities are to be expanded with radio over IP utilizing Motorola’s Wave or SyTech’s Radio Interoperability System (RIOS). There are plans to incorporate AFB’s infrastructure (4G/LTE/5G, Ethernet/Fiber, or WiFi). Available Integrated Data Applications include Over-the- Air Rekeying, Programming over P25 (POP25), Text Messaging, GPS Location, Fire Station Alerting, and License Plate Look-up. Support services include dispatch service, technical support, on-site infrastructure response, security update service platinum and patch management.

- Secure mobile capabilities: The Air Force Reserve has allocated approximately 56 Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) deviceONE SecureView (ADSV) laptops to mission essential and VIP users to provide remote secret (SIPRNet) network telework connectivity. Base communications squadrons and similar supporting entities will provide a role in sustaining these devices. ADSV laptops are built to the NSA’s Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) standard. The ADSV solution has limitations as ADSV laptops are currently difficult to obtain and users report slow network connectivity. Users also are not able to access local network shared drives and must login to the PACAF SIPR domain.

6. Objectives

End User IT objectives:

- Transition to cloud-based solutions and services with device-agnostic, mobile, virtual-based desktops and applications that remove wired infrastructure dependency

- Leverage commercial technology maturation to support AFRC global remote workforce of the future (including expanded telework and hoteling), by providing convenient, secure access to data and info required to do job from anywhere

- Integrate telephony, data, applications, AF desktop, and traditional video/audio conferencing to create more robust and responsive communication services to support remote work environment

- Secure AFRC mission capability and data inside the Cloud through the automation of security services (more robust and less human error) establishing the framework for a Zero-Trust computing environment

- Managed mobile devices with derived certs liberating the end user from the traditional Common Access Card (CAC) with a digital cert authenticating directly to the application through the cloud underpinning critical capabilities to support End User Zero-Trust computing

- Mission assurance through the continuity of operations

- Eliminate duplicative technical support efforts and optimize staffing needs

- Reduce help desk operations through self-help and self-managed apps that do not require service desk support for users

- Reduce cost of operation and sustainment of AF wired infrastructure, hardware and other commoditized IT

- Minimize the number of devices required to access all required functions; device agnostic; enable use of personal devices for member convenience

Mission critical and emergency communications objectives:

- Integrate and unify LMR/EMR program with multiple communication technologies that reduces cost, which includes communication between smartphones, radios, and computers to both interagency and local authorities.

Secure mobile capabilities objectives:

- Develop mobile enterprise SIPRNet solution for classified cellular and laptop capabilities that is compliant to NSA standards and applicable security technical implementation guides, security requirements guides as listed under Air Force Instruction 17-101, DoDI 8510.10, and NIST SP 800- 53r4.

7. Constraints

- Reserve personnel must have access when away from duty station

- Solutions must support AFRC future work environment, to include in-office, part-time telework, full-time telework, and hoteling solutions

- No data-at-rest should be placed on personal devices, to prevent Personal Identifiable

Information (PII) and/or Classified Message Incidents (CMIs) spillage onto a personal device

- Solutions must provide for certificate-based authentication

- Must assume some applications and user experiences will remain dependent on a desktop/laptop to execute capabilities largely grounded in legacy applications unable to be virtualized

- Commercial wireless coverage at HQ AFRC and on AFRC bases is not yet sufficient to meet all needs, but there are actions underway with commercial vendor to address

- Any supporting infrastructure dependencies must leverage AFRC’s existing investments (Dell/EMC storage, VMware, etc) rather than require significant new investments

- All hardware and software products used on the AF network must meet information assurance requirements (such as be on, or be capable of being added to, the approved products list)

- Solutions cannot conflict with AF/Department of Defense IT guidance, to include applicable security technical implementation guides, security requirements guides

- Looking for commercial out-of-the box solutions to work for AFRC without special modification

- User collaboration tools should integrate with HQ AFRC conference rooms

8. Requirements Cross-Reference: N/A

SOO Requirement Reference Acquisition Vehicle Requirement Cross-reference