Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Contract
Web-based Information System Support (WISS)
Phacil is the prime contractor on the MDA’s WISS Contract

Overview
Phacil is the prime contractor on the Missile Defense Agency’s Web-based Information System Support (WISS) contract, assisting other contract development teams with product integration into the MDA infrastructure and portal. Phacil performs services across the MDA enterprise for numerous customers within the agency and is currently transitioning the portal from the National Capital Region to Huntsville, AL.  Phacil has built and customized “out-of-the box” portal functionalities, so that we can quickly create portlets to meet our customer’s requirements. 

Services Provided and Technologies Used
Phacil provides network and engineering services, ensuring that all portal server hardware and software meets or exceeds current security standards within DoD and MDA; Tier 1, 2, and 3 user support for all aspects of the Unclassified Enterprise Knowledge Online web portal; and requirements analysis, design, development, testing and support services to a custom enterprise portal-based application. Phacil also performs custom development using .asp and .net for projects integrated with the portal; sets up network links and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to new portal instantiation locations; conducts set-up for personnel approved for telework; configures MDA assets in accordance with security guidelines (SNAC/STIG); maintains security accreditations (e.g., audits, IAVA, updates, new authentications technologies); provides mobile device support; supports enterprise messaging integration; and facilitates and works with enterprise thin client upgrades.

Our personnel also work to support the Enterprise Information Management and Architecture Groups.  Phacil supports MDA Enterprise infrastructure upgrades; Information System Security; hardware/software products and upgrades; Independent Verification & Validation (IV&V); new technology evaluation; hardware/software maintenance; rapid prototyping; licensing; and software development.  Phacil engineers are trained in Solaris, Windows, a range of applications that fully integrate with the MDA enterprise Windows 2003 and identity management (IDAM outside of Active Directory) solution.  Phacil engineers work to consistently improve customer response, including remote management and administration.  Engineers use CAD, Visio, and network mapping tools in support of ongoing reengineering of MDA and evaluation of proposed network improvements.  Phacil uses CMMI principles; we work closely with subcontractor CSC whose business unit is CMMI Level 5 Certified, and our engineers and business manager use our Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) in a range of solutions.

Benefits
As part of our transition, Phacil has built backup suites and instantiated a distributed architecture; this facilitates the transition, speeds up the portal; increases availability, and creates an automatic backup for Continuity of Operations.  Our team recently completed a technology refresh that included the design and specifications for all new hardware and software in the portal.  This effort entailed building the servers in accordance with MDA and the DoD Information Systems Agency (DISA) guidelines, installation and configuration of all software, physical installation of the servers, and performing the upgrades and migration of existing data and applications from the legacy systems to the newly upgraded suite.  The upgrades provide fail-over and redundancy capabilities that had not previously existed and significantly improved performance. 

The portal team has optimized the SDLC for rapid response – while still maintaining a high level of quality in the end-product – to meet aggressive customer schedules.  Phacil uses prototyping and spiral development approaches to better meet evolving agency requirements. As part of recent Knowledge-base initiatives, we recently developed a concept for consolidating agency-wide weekly status reports to enable senior management to view issues and progress by subject across the entire agency.  Phacil developed a concept for a “portalized” status reporting tool that can leverage structured status entry and search capabilities, using a database backend.

Results
The Phacil team completed the development, testing, and deployment of the GUI, within thirty days of the hand-over of the project to our team. Since then, the Company’s work has continued to make a positive impact for MDA. Phacil has:

Initiated full time quality assurance personnel for all updates and changes to the MDA portal, an asset that has been recognized at the CIO level;
Maintained 99.99% portal availability;
Made a 50% portal response time improvement; and
Initiated our distributed architecture design and transition to Huntsville earlier then required by MDA.

Further Information
For further information on this or other projects, please contact us directly at 703-562-4250 or by email at sales@phacil.com.