The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 challenged the emergency communications channels within the Pentagon. The Pentagon Security Advisory Group recognized the need existed for a supplemental means of communicating emergency information to the Pentagon community. The result is an automated Computer Emergency Notification System (CENS) using the Pentagon network infrastructure to support emergency notifications.
CENS’s main requirement is to enable the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) to send messages to computer users within the Pentagon, notifying them of action required in a crisis situation. The philosophy was the more methods that existed for communication during a crisis situation, the more likely lives would be saved. As a result, CENS was developed to supplement the use of the Public Address system and e-mail to communicate with the Pentagon community in the event of an emergency. Since the implementation of CENS the average network user receives the emergency message within 10 to 20 seconds.
CENS was designed and certified specifically to operate within the Pentagon internetwork, a unique, multiple-domain network environment. The system is coded and configured to support the specific force protection role and procedures of PFPA. While CENS is not a commercial, off-the-shelf product, the concept is very transferable to other agencies and DOD has shared the concept and design wherever possible. The cost to implement CENS was just over $345,000. The client software installed on approximately 20,000 computers represents an investment of about $17.25 per end user workstation.
For more information, contact Mr. Eric Schilling at (703) 614-0525 or via e-mail at eschilling@ref.whs.mil
