Hill AFB prepares for large-scale network migration

  • Published
  • By Robert Richardson
  • 75 ABW/SCXP
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Hill is scheduled to begin a large communications network migration to the centrally managed Air Force Network (AFNet) Sept. 30. The migration will last three months and Hill AFB technicians will migrate workstations, network users and e-mail into the AFNet.

The goal of this project is to consolidate all individual or stand-alone Air Force networks into the AFNet. Software and hardware problems are expected, but the AFNet migration project represents a major change to how computer networks are managed and is one of the most complex DoD technology initiatives ever attempted. Until now, MAJCOMs and various Air Force organizations operate their own independent networks, consequently driving unique and unit specific requirements.

Throughout the years, this approach led to a lack of standardization, security problems, high operation and maintenance costs and a lack of enterprise situational awareness. In short, there was no single organization or commander responsible for the network. The AFNet migration project addresses these issues and places Air Force cyber operations under the operational control of a single commander.

This approach will yield a significant improvement in the Air Force's ability to fight daily virus activity and malicious intrusion attempts. Additionally, AFNet migration will centralize services like e-mail and data storage, significantly improving network security and standardization. Finally, since this centralization will eliminate redundant systems, overall operational and training costs will be reduced.

So how will this affect you? The most visible change will be in the format of your e-mail address. The migration formally replaces the old first.last@hill.af.mil e-mail address with a standard first.last@us.af.mil address. Regardless of the base or organization assigned, this new address will remain with users for the duration of their career, employment or affiliation with the Air Force. As more bases join the AFNet, Airmen will be able to log into their accounts from any AFNet base without requesting and creating an additional account - allowing easy access to the network during deployments and throughout TDY or PCS moves.

Sites such as the Air Force Portal, Air Force Personnel Center, and Defense Finance Accounting Service will remain easily accessible regardless of duty location. The migration will also result in a consolidated customer service help desk called the Enterprise Service Desk (ESD - https://esd.us.af.mil/esdportal/), designed to serve as a "one-stop-shop" for the resolution of common user problems.

What can you do to prepare? As a first step, users must ensure they are up-to-date on their annual DoD Information Assurance CyberAwareness training. If your training certification expires during the migration period, the migration will disable your account. Next, users should conduct some cleanup (e.g. back up large files to CD/DVD and reduce e-mail storage size.) During the migration, Hill AFB users should be prepared for occasional service interruptions as migrations progress and expect to restore some features to their desktop environment (e.g. Outlook preferences, SharePoint access, drive mapping) after they have migrated.

As Hill AFB approaches its projected Sept. 30 start date, a team of Air Force Network Integration Center, 690th Network Support Group and 75th Air Base Wing technicians are busy preparing equipment and resources to facilitate the migration of almost 20,000 Hill AFB users. The migration will begin with small sets of test users within the 75th Air Base Wing and other AFMC units. After the initial migration test, the team will proceed with the rest of Hill. The migration team will coordinate unit-level schedules and ensure each organization is ready prior to migration. Look for future media campaigns and 75th Air Base Wing eAdvisories for additional migration related information.

For any additional questions, contact our Hill AFNet project manager, Robert Richardson, 75 ABW/SCXP, at 801-586-5961 or robert.richardson@hill.af.mil.