Scott Jones, chief information officer of the Selective Service System, said SSS is close to completing the initial phase of its modernization effort for its registration system, which will enable the agency to better manage, share and store information, Federal News Network reported Monday.
In March 2022, SSS received $5.9 million in funding from the Technology Modernization Fund Board to safeguard the personal data of Selective Service registrants and improve its cybersecurity posture. With the funding, the agency is migrating its system to the cloud and updating its data infrastructure.
To date, SSS has spent approximately $3.8 million and repaid about 12 percent of the funding it received.
IT Modernization Effort Phase 2
According to Jones, the IT modernization effort’s second phase will commence shortly after the initial phase.
“That final phase is the design and delivery of our data warehouse, and is expected to be complete in fiscal 2026. The entire project will be completed in mid-2026 with our transition to full operations and maintenance,” Jones said on FNN’s Ask the CIO.
“This modernization initiative is delivering resilience and agility to the systems that manage the registration of millions of men aged 18 to 25 including U.S. citizens at home and abroad, as well as male immigrants residing in the United States. Maintaining a comprehensive and secure registration system supports national readiness in the event of a return to conscription during a national emergency,” he added.
Creating a Centralized Data Warehouse
The second phase of the agency’s modernization effort will focus on consolidating and moving various databases into a centralized data warehouse.
The CIO noted that the project’s Phase 2 seeks to ensure data security and make the data easily accessible for artificial intelligence, advanced visualizations, business intelligence and other capabilities.
“We want to use analytics to be able to leverage that data as a strategic asset. It’s the federal government’s data, it’s the public’s data, with regards to which we utilize that to meet end goals of the agency’s mission,” Jones said.
During the interview, Jones announced the appointment of Alma Cruz, most recently with the Federal Reserve Board, as chief data officer to help create the data warehouse at SSS.
