United States Army Medical Command
Bringing the Army into the Future
The Client
The United States Army Information Technology Center (USAMITC), based at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX, provides information management and technology support to the Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) at locations throughout the world. It also provides video network capabilities to the Army.
The Challenge
USAMITC provides support services for a system used by Medical Treatment Facilities to track Soldiers going through a medical evaluation board (MEB), a process to determine if a Soldier is medically able to be retained in the Army.
There were two challenges faced by the Army. One was to address the need to expand their tracking system so that it could respond to increased demand caused by two simultaneous wars and also allow for future growth. Another challenge was to implement DOD directives requiring that the system be made web accessible.
The tracking system was based on an old version of Lotus Notes and had an architecture that was not easily expanded. In addition to the need to improve the architecture, there was a need to have personnel that were trained and certified in the latest IBM Domino technology.
The Approach
zCore Business Solutions (zCore) was contracted to provide a cost effective solution that enhanced the tracking system's capabilities, made it more efficient, made it accessible from the internet, and allowed for future growth and enhancements. zCore collaborated with the Army to assess needs of the users, identify areas for improvement, and develop a cost effective strategy for implementing design and architectural changes. zCore's strategy was to upgrade the environment and re-architect a solution that would allow for future growth. The new design focused on web and Army standardization and code reuse for increased return on investment in future expansion and/or enhancement efforts. Standardization of the user interface as well as the code library would reduce overall maintenance and training cost for the organization as a whole.
Security measures would be met by placing the application behind DOD recommended firewalls and protocols, providing links to the application, as well as new enhanced API security. Using the various security layers in which user's access data and/or resources, the application challenges users for authorization to protect all level of the application down to the field level.
The Solution
zCore redesigned the application based on the most current IBM Domino platform. The design was made to be navigated and operated more easily, improve efficiencies at the server and at the client computer, and standardize both the user interface and the backend code. zCore redesigned the application so that it was accessible from the web and had the same look and feel from both the web and the client computer.
The Results
In the first round of enhancements, improvements were seen immediately in the form of reduced repetitive support calls, faster system response times and improved data integrity. Likewise, there was an increase in data requests as the application became more user-friendly.
In the soon to be released second round of improvements, the user will find a more navigable and intuitive application that can be used securely both from the client computer and the web. This will also make it easier for users to access the tracking system from more places, whether they are on a base across the world, in the office, in a hotel room, or elsewhere. And as the needs for this tracking system change and grow over time, the design will be better equipped to grow with and adapt to those needs.
