The Department of Defense has been working to bolster its networks as the number of employees teleworking surges during the new coronavirus pandemic, senior leaders said this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re doing what we can, by the way, on the network side to make sure we have adequate bandwidth to support telework,\u201d Defense Secretary Mark Esper said during a March 24 news conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, Dana Deasy, the Pentagon\u2019s top IT official, said in a statement to C4ISRNET on March 25 that \u201cas teleworking increases, we are working diligently to advance the capability and capacity of our network posture to support the rise in demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither official elaborated on the steps Pentagon leaders are taking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn this unprecedented time for our nation, DoD networks remain fully capable of supporting the mission-critical duties necessary to execute our missions,\u201d Deasy said. \u201cWe are fully committed to maximizing the use of a telework-ready IT environment to ensure the health and welfare of our personnel given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier in March, Lisa Hershman, the Pentagon\u2019s chief management officer, said that the department had been conducting stress tests for telework opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As more staffers work from home, Pentagon officials have emphasized that every employee should have the network access they need to do their jobs but noted that department leaders have limited applications that stream streaming music and video to free up capacity for mission-critical activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a list of do\u2019s and don\u2019ts distributed throughout the department, leaders also asked workers to avoid social networks and personal shopping on government equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, with more employees working from home, the department\u2019s IT leaders continue to worry about increased vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Personnel must practice strong cyber hygiene and operational security awareness while online to ensure the department networks stay secure,\u201d said Lt. Col. Robert Carver, a DoD spokesman. \u201cWe have disseminated clear guidance that the same discipline, awareness and security measures required for on-site work must be observed by our personnel when working remotely.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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