NOS Information Management Office

NOS's Information Management Office (IMO) plays a central role in providing IT infrastructure for NOS and NOS-wide IT governance (which includes strategic planning and policy development).

NOS Data Center Relocation

SUPPORTS NOS PRIORITY: PREPAREDNESS AND RISK REDUCTION

NOS IMO is nearing completion of its multi-year project to relocate its primary Information Technology (IT) data centers to the NOAA Enterprise Data Center in Ashburn, Virginia. This relocation has allowed IMO to modernize the infrastructure that provides the backbone to all other NOS IT systems. IMO decommissioned obsolete equipment and upgraded the IT architecture by replacing physical servers and storage devices with technology that integrates those functions into one flexible container. IMO established a modern, robust network between the Silver Spring Metro Center Campus and the Ashburn NOAA Enterprise Data Center in partnership with the N-Wave service of the NOAA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer. The relocation allows NOS to establish more robust networking routes to major cloud service providers, and was performed with little to no production impact to NOS IT customers.

Service Desk Staff Continue Outstanding Service in Challenging Times

SUPPORTS NOS PRIORITY: PREPAREDNESS AND RISK REDUCTION

Fiscal Year 2020 introduced new challenges for NOS IT Service Desks. Using remote workstation management tools and Google Meet, Service Desk staff successfully adapted to these new circumstances and continued providing outstanding customer support for a customer base of full-time teleworkers. Staff ensured that all customers were equipped with laptops and required accessories, and continued to refresh and deploy new equipment with all required software.

In addition to remotely troubleshooting laptops and virtual private network connection malfunctions, NOS IT Service Desk staff collaborated with each other to develop remote processes that enabled laptops to accept new common access cards (CACs) without requiring a physical visit to the Silver Spring Metro Center Campus (SSMC). Staff were especially creative in helping customers extend their CAC expiration dates remotely. And if a customer either had to, or chose to, come in to SSMC to resolve an issue, Service Desk staff coordinated with customers, established appropriate distancing, and followed all guidelines concerning protective equipment and sanitization to ensure everyone’s safety.