# Land and Maritime’s Tech Council proves its worth

/ Published Nov. 6, 2018
COLUMBUS, Ohio, 
As the Defense Logistics Agency’s information technology landscape continues to evolve, the Land and Maritime Technology Council is busy keeping the workforce up-to-date as requirements for technology grow.

The council provides grassroots IT information to their teams, channels concerns back to the Information Operations Directorate known by associates as J6, gets “sneak peek” information and details on IT projects coming to Columbus, and provides suggestions and feedback to assure a smooth transition and improved change management to the workforce.

                The Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime Technology Council met Oct. 30 to discuss information technology updates, requirements and current initiatives with a goal of improving the IT environment for associates.                            Technology Council host meeting                            The Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime Technology Council met Oct. 30 to discuss information technology updates, requirements and current initiatives with a goal of improving the IT environment for associates.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Michael RowlandVIRIN: 181030-D-RE244-004The Technology Council, led by council champions Land Supplier Operations Deputy Director Don Schulze and DLA Information Operations Business Relationship Manager Kari Riskedahl, is comprised of a representative from each Land and Maritime directorate.

During their monthly meetings, J6 project managers and subject matter experts present topics that will impact Land and Maritime in the near future. Council members have the opportunity to directly engage with questions, concerns and feedback from their working group.  This direct line of communication has helped J6 understand Land and Maritime’s business requirements while providing leadership vital information on J6 requirements. 

“The Technology Council has been a crucial working group for Land Customer Operations and has played a vital role in both working through IT issues and staying informed on all IT topics and software deployment initiatives,” Land Customer Operations Representative Scott Achatz said.

One of the best examples of J6 and Land and Maritime Technology Council collaboration is with the recent Access Database migration effort.  Land and Maritime’s questions helped drive a new approved category of database, helped shape the standard database naming convention for the Enterprise and helped create a more streamlined folder structure to house the databases. 

Other examples in 2018 include ensuring that J6’s Site Assistance Visit Training sessions had topics and training specifically beneficial to Land and Maritime associates, and ensuring all associates correctly registered in MilConnect. 

The Technology Council also worked with the Land and Maritime Culture Council and delivered the Availability, Communicate, Engaged more commonly known as A.C.E. briefing to the directorates to increase knowledge of the IT communication tools available to increase communication and collaboration in the virtual teams and workforce. 

The council has been active in helping associates understand how they can install software patches on their own (instead of waiting for J6 to push them), and were well prepared for the recent Defense Information Systems Agency EVoIP Extension Mobility migration. 

“I‘ve found the council to be extremely professional and results driven,” Maritime Customer Operations Representative Jeffrey Day said. “I enjoy being on the council because I feel like it gives my directorate a voice in the IT community. In a constantly evolving IT environment, it’s important for everyone to work together to achieve our common goal.” 

Want to be part of the Technology Council?  Speak to your director and once approved reach out to Kari Riskedahl. 

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments for the next meeting, see your Directorate Technology Council representative.