"The Department of the Navy Electronic Records Management System (DON ERMS) Working Group has a mission to promote best practices in information sharing and ensure ready access to essential information that documents the actions of the Navy in all areas of business, defense and operations. The TRIM product and the supporting NMCI architecture ensures the Navy is equipped to provide a robust foundation to support the enterprise-wide requirement for ERM and EDM solutions. The Department of the Navy is excited to become the world’s largest electronic records management customer."
Although electronic records management (ERM) tools are not widely used within the Navy and Marine Corps at this time, the implementation of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) is poised to bring about a fundamental transformation. This article focuses on the steps the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer (DON CIO) has taken to lay the groundwork for implementation of a successful, enterprise-wide ERM solution under NMCI. These critical initial stages are the same for any large enterprise attempting to implement an effective ERM solution across their organization.
Software Selection
The first step is to identify organizational ERM needs and set up the tools capable of meeting them. The DON required the winner of the NMCI contract to provide for the "retention of electronic information files consistent with applicable DoD (DoD Standard 5015.2-STD) and DON policy (SECNAVINST 5212.5D)," as part of the basic service for all NMCI seats. Potential products were evaluated on their usability, functionality, reliability, cost, NMCI compatibility, scalability, evolution, and best value. Other considerations included their ability to integrate with Microsoft’s product line and leading database management systems. The evaluation team wanted to ensure that the product chosen would provide the best ability to meet current and future Navy and Marine Corp requirements.
After extensive evaluation, TRIM by TOWER Software was selected as the Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) records management application to be provided with every NMCI seat throughout the DON. TRIM is a single product that provides capability for both document and records management. TRIM meets both DoD and DON standards. Furthermore, it interfaces with leading database management systems such as Oracle and SQL Server. TRIM is a proven solution that has been installed at over 1,000 sites in 30 countries.
Implementation Costs
There are five main cost components to NMCI ERM system implementation: product licensing, software installation, integration, record storage and training. Every NMCI seat requires a license and installation of the TRIM software. Additional NMCI requirements include training for users and system administrators, as well as a basic level of storage capability (additional storage is available to commands based on their ERM needs). ERM integration services (the mapping of existing business processes to TRIM) are not included in the basic NMCI seat cost, but can be obtained under the contract or from other vendors.
Cultural Impact
Before ERM technology can be effectively implemented, it is necessary to address the cultural impact of an enterprise ERM solution. The DON CIO has stepped up to this challenge with the support of KPMG Consulting to establish an Electronic Records Management Systems (DONERMS) Working Group, consisting of Navy and Marine Corps records managers, the DON CIO, and other key DON ERM players. Critical to the success of this effort was the inclusion of EDS, KPMG Consulting, and Tower Software to ensure optimal ERM utilization of the NMCI ERM tool and infrastructure. Through the working group, the DON CIO produced both an ERM policy and an implementation guidance document, and facilitated the ERM education of users under NMCI.
DON CIO ERM Policy