Photo By Ryan Morton | Mike Golberg, Army Support Activity-Dix Network Enterprise Center field technician,...... read more read more
Valerie Tandoi
ASA-Dix Public Affairs
ARMY SUPPORT ACTIVITY-DIX, JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J., -- While the name DOIM (Directorate of Information Management) is still used around conference room tables or in casual conversation by Army Support Activity Dix workers to refer to the post's leader in technology assistance, the organization's name and responsibilities have changed. Now called the NEC, which stands for Network Enterprise Center, it is a major technology player in its transition to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Since the designation DOIM has been around for as long as most employees can remember, tossing that term around in conference rooms and offices is going to be a hard habit to break for most workers. However, all ASA-Dix personnel should be aware of what changes have taken place at the NEC and how this shift in operations may affect the way they deal with technology issues in their department.
Before the merger, the NEC was the sole go-to operation for all technology needs on post, but times have changed.
"The difference between the past and today is that we have given up the main post telephone switch to the Air Force," said Richard Eckstein, director of the NEC. "We also did move about 375 people to the Air Force network."
Although a bulk of the telephone services have been switched to the hands of the Air Force, NEC workers still play their part."We still handle the telephones for the range area. There are two switches: one for the range area and one for the main post. The Air Force now runs the main post. The one in the range area stayed Army," Eckstein explained.
Customers who are in need of help with their telephone line in the ASA cantonment area should now turn to the 87th Communications Squad, which can be reached by calling 609-754-2666.
"People can go through their telephone control officer registered with the 87th Communications Squad. They fill out what's called a Work Order Management System and their work gets done. So that's the biggest difference, they now need to use the Air Force's work order system instead of our work order system. It's working pretty smoothly at this point," said Eckstein.
Customers having computer issues can dial 609-562-2232 to be connected to the NEC help desk. Range area phone customers experiencing technical difficulties should contact their Installation Management Officer for assistance in submitting a remedy ticket to resolve their issue.
The biggest challenge within the NEC itself is learning about the Air Force's way of running things. "It has taken us some time to get used to the processes that the Air Force goes through to get things done. We didn't know all of that up front, so it has just been a learning curve for us here," explained Evelyn Stefula, chief of plans and business operations for the NEC.
The NEC operates under the command of the 93rd Signal Brigade, Fort Eustis, Va., which is commanded by Col. Jim Garrison. Garrison then reports back to the 7th Signal Commander led by Brig. Gen. Jennifer Napper out of Fort Gordon, Ga. Napper takes orders from the Army's network command at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. Although these command posts are spread out all over the country, each organization works well together. The NEC never has a problem getting through to anyone for support. According to Eckstein, everyone is always responsive to their calls.
As things continue to change at ASA-Dix, the NEC staff has a positive attitude and looks forward to a great year. "There will be some more Army customers coming onto the base soon, so they should almost replace the work load that we lost," said Eckstein.
The NEC team is also looking to increase usability and automate more business processes within the Army by improving its SharePoint portal and joint mission management system.
"We want to continue to do things more efficiently. We are always looking to improve on things to help the end user," explained Stefula.
| Date Taken: | 02.16.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 02.16.2010 09:11 |
| Story ID: | 45410 |
| Location: | ASA-DIX, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 789 |
| Downloads: | 293 |
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