MAXWELL AFB-GUNTER ANNEX, Ala. -- Have you looked at your phone screen lately? Is it burned out, a little dimmer than before, or just out right broken?
As we all know connectivity is vital to the flow of information and our ability to effectively complete our mission, not just in the Air Force but in all facets of our military and government. The life cycle of equipment is something that we all deal with in our day-to-day duties, and ensuring our equipment functions is paramount to our success.
During this last fiscal year, the importance of voice communications was hammered home when the Operations, Plans and Resources (OPR) branch of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Operations division started the groundwork for a Voice over Internet Protocol refresh. This refresh sought to take existing user hardware, as well as the back-end support equipment and replace it with new, more secure assets.
To accomplish this, OPR put together a package for procurement of over $1 million dollars in equipment, providing the division’s NetOps team with a new call manager, analog voice gateway, and integrated services routers. These new assets are expected to bring the system in line with current industry standards and remove any end-of-life equipment from the network environment.
The OPR branch is responsible for the deployment of information technology solutions and policies for the Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate located at Maxwell AFB-Gunter Annex in Montgomery, Alabama.
The office manages local projects as well as downward directed projects supporting 123 program offices and 150 combat systems. Locally they support a $35.5 million network with 2,100 users, ensuring it remains secure and effective.