# Presentation: 812381

## Shifting the Paradigm in Managing Telecommunications

- April 10, 2002

## Mid-1990’s

- GAO audits Department ... finds “material weaknesses” in telecommunications management
- USDA responds: “TNSMP” and “TMACO”

## TMACO is Tasked to:

- Corral costs
- Improve telecommunications (from Departmental perspective)

## Mid-1990’s

- REE/ARS realigns technical and administrative telecommunications functions into – Information Technology Division

## 1996

- The Telecommunications Act of 1996 broadens the competitive marketplace
- Makes local telephone service competitive
- Allows local telephone companies to offer long-distance
- Adds competitors

## 1996 to 2001

- Internet explodes!
- Bill Hadesty appointed
- Congress grades USDA
- Access is the word

## 2001

- Bandwidth Upgrades, New Connectivity for FFIS
- Transition to FTS2001, WITS2001
- Modernization of Data Infrastructure
- Addressing Access Issues

## 2001

- Standardized router configurations
- Obtained excess/surplus equipment for locations (switches vs. hubs, newer routers)
- Upgraded internal wiring
- Circuit routing improved

## ARS Now . . .

- 55 WorldCom Frame Relay Circuits
- 12 WorldCom Dedicated Circuits
- Unknown total . . . other connectivity
- Every office for itself (almost)

## Current Activities/Plans

- Enterprise Router at GWCC

**Notes:**
Move all DC-homed to Beltsville

## Current Activities/Plans

- Enterprise Router at GWCC
- Cybersecurity Issues

## Current Activities/Plans

- Enterprise Router at GWCC
- Cybersecurity Issues
- Bandwidth Issues

## Current Activities/Plans

- Enterprise Router at GWCC
- Cybersecurity Issues
- Bandwidth Issues
- Internet 2

## Current Activities/Plans

- Enterprise Router at GWCC
- Cybersecurity Issues
- Bandwidth Issues
- Internet 2
- NAL/BARC

**Notes:**
BARC pilot
Cornell/Ithaca
Clay Center

## The Future

- Voice infrastructure aging – most PBX’s over 10 years old
- Video infrastructure aging – most using 128k bandwidth maximum
- Cellular telephones, “Palm”-type devices, and remote access uses increasing
- “Voice” security!!

## Less Visible

- On the $$ side:
- OMB increasingly requiring telecommunications as part of funding process (Exhibit 300 of A-11)
- Life cycle approach needs to be applied to telecommunications equipment and services (compare PC’s)
- Dollars needed for modernization of wiring in buildings to meet standards

## Future Network Architecture ...

- Centralization?
- Redundancy?
- Security?
- Efficiency?
- Convergence?

## “The old industrial economy was driven by economies of scale; the new information economy is driven by the economics of networks.”

- Carl Shapiro and Hal R. Varian, *Information Rules*

## We can expect to use multiple devices most likely connected by the Internet.

Consumers, with new technology choices, will demand content in one source, received on a single device, delivered by a single connection.

- Consumers, with new technology choices, will demand content in one source, received on a single device, delivered by a single connection.

- Managing the Process to Convergence

## Before Convergence

***Disjointed Networks, Independent Applications, Separate Management Systems***

## After Convergence

***Unified Applications, Unified Infrastructure,***
***Unified Network Management***

## To look at it another way........

**Data**

**Voice**

## Technological Convergence

- Telephone Networks can carry video, voice  and data.
- Cable TV Networks can carry video, voice and data.
- Wireless Networks can carry video, voice and data.
- Broadcast Networks can carry video, voice and data.

## But Different Networks Have Different Architectures

- Telephone:  Fixed path; narrow band; any-to-any; network users block each other; user-dedicated circuits
- Cable TV:  Fixed path; broadband; one-to-many; non-blocking network; user-dedicated drops
- Wireless:  Mobile; becoming broadband; any-to-any; all users block each other; no dedicated facilities
- Broadcast TV Networks: One-to-Many; non-blocking network, no dedicated facilities

## And Different Applications Have Different Characteristics

- Voice and data – the PSTN is “peaky” with  short holding times; Internet traffic is “bursty” with long holding times; Video is mostly one- way downloads of huge data sets
- Fixed and mobile networks use different carriers
- Video and voice – broadband networks offering information, communications, entertainment

## What Are We Learning?

- The competitive marketplace has added more “hoops” to choosing telecommunications solutions

## What Are We Learning?

- Increased marketplace complexity increases the risk of making “penny wise pound foolish” decisions

## What Are We Learning?

- “Space age” telecommunications will require greater coordination, cooperation, expertise, and teamwork

## And Most Importantly ...

## Telecommunications Managers are NEVER Bored!

## E. Linda RafatsTMACO andChiefTelecommunications & Support 	Services Branch(301) 504-1090lrafats@ars.usda.gov