The GIG's connectivity will extend to any device that passes information, Money notes. Adapting legacy equipment to work in this new information grid is the biggest challenge facing the GIG, Money offers. And, there is no formula or quick fix to attain that solution. Much of this gear was built without any thought to interoperability as it currently is defined. So, the department must find a way to incorporate this vital gear into the interoperable grid.
Money cites gateways and interfaces as the current options for achieving compatibility.
This transformation must begin somewhere and must meet the department's priority needs. The horse that leads the cart, Osterholz explains, is the clear understanding of the operations that information technology must support. Once you have that reasonably good view to a level necessary to understand the basic operations, then you are in command of either a material solution or a procurement such as an outsourced service. Osterholz emphasizes the GIG's governance process as vital to its success. A technology-only systems solution would be an unsatisfactory solution, he emphasizes.