MINUTES OF 16 DECEMBER 1983 MEETING OF THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS BOARD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86M00886R000600060013-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 3, 2008
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: January 16, 1984
• Content Type: MEMO

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DATE
TRANSMITTAL SLIP
TO:
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REMARKS:
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EXTENSION
FORM 36-8
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Executive R."ristry
84- 293
16 January 1984
1. The I-nfoz
16 December.. 1983.
25X1
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line 3)_ of the mi nut e-s ..has __been changed and reissued .) 25X1
3. asked that the meeting be devoted entirely to a 25X1
discussion--of.- the recoMmendation of the. Workstation Environment
Working-Group as briefed at the previous meetinge
"I-t is recommended that Opt ions - 2--+. 3_ + 6-be adopted as the
near-term solution to the Agency's word and data processing,
.-terminal. requirements
Option 2: .Minimal- Wang Connectivity
- .. 2 pened,_the meeting - asking-.for -addi-tions or. 25X1.
corrections_ o^t_ a minutes, of.-the- meetings held on 17--October and..
November. .-.(I.n a.telephone _ca1-1--to=the Executive-Secretary
f -
ollo,w.ing the.mee.ting_,= - - proposed alternate-wording to -one 25X1
= . Gontiniie to devote -resources to provide minimal
.connectivity(i.e., file-trans-fer) between the Wangs and
the-IBM mainframes. In addition, make the-Wang Alliance
terminals interactive with the mainframe-s, recognizing that
only a ?subse-t -of - the -available i nteractive - funct ions will -
be available.
25X1
nformation Systems Board Members
Executive Secretary to the Board
Minutes of 16 December 1983 Meeting of the
In1orma
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Option 3: Delta Data On-line Wl (HBWP)
Allocate additional resources to improve Host-Based
.Word Processing (HBWP) so as to offer as much Wang-like WP
functionality as possible in the.Delta Data.
Option 6: Corrmercial PCs (On-line and Stand-alone WP + DP)
Meet new terminal requirements with commercially
.available PCs. They would offer all of the capability
cited ,.. plus have the added advantage of nearly limitless
availability of applications software. Note that this
.option is burdened with several unique costs. One is that
.Agency resources would have to interface the PCs to the
mainframes ...
noted that he had received memoranda from six Board
members and several Working Groups and members detailing opinions
about the recommendation; he asked each Board member to share his
thoughts with those present.
4? began the discussion, stating that the Working
Group's report provided a valuable framework for a.discussion of the
important issues. He suggested that more detailed technical
information would be required before a final decision about any
significant use of personal computers could be made. He pointed out
that the next Agency standard terminal probably should have a stand-
alone word. processing capability and that the replacement of Wangs
and Delta Datas with personal computers offered a potentially
valuable option as a long-term goal. The DDO, he concluded, favored
a feasibility study, preferably soon, which would include the cost
of connecting personal computers to the Agency's current mainframe-
5. strongly urged that the recommendation
of the Working Group be adopted and that no further studies be
undertaken. He opined that the Board should lead the Agency toward
updating its automated systems rather than follow as one component
after another adopted new technologies on its own. He suggested
that a prototype study might be valuable if it put personal
computers into the hands of a number of users auickly, but that no
study should take longer than 90 days.
6. then drew attention to the memorandum from the
Computer Security Working Group, which had been dist. oard
members at the beginning of the meeting, and asked to
comment on any .secu _ ions connected wi a switch to
personal computers. replied that the memorandum before
the Board stated the security issues clearly and that such issues
would have-to be resolved before any particular device was chosen.
He recommended, however, that the Board make its decision based on
the o;perationa ions needed rather than focusing exclusively on
-security.
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Mf ?JF}1)F- N T iM .
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7 eo,ented that OIS agreed with the
recorrmen a ion to open the Agency to personal- computer use.. He
suggested that a requirements and cost study would be beneficial,
but he agreed with that any study should be a short
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8.. completely -endorsed. the Working Group'-s
recommendation but also saw a need for a short prototype study. If
the Board decided to task the Working Group to produce additional
requirements and cost information, he ar ued ODP would have to
ass
the
g Groups efforts.- agreed with 25X1
and and further urged that the Board use this occasion
to move the Agency into the era of distributed data processing.
--stated that ORD also endorsed the recommendation, noted 25X1
.tnat a prototype study would be worthwhile, and suggested that
Board begin thinking about a long-term ADP investment strategy. 25X1
9. agreed with previous speakers that the 25X1
Working ro p s report was useful. He argued, however, that no
decision on the recommendation should be made until further
technical details -- requirements, costs, and implications for the
overall Agency ADP arhitecture -- had been analyzed. He pointed out
that the draft of HR 10-26 -- "Electronic Information Processing
System Security" -- called for restricting the use of personal
computers within the Agency until "th full impact of
personal computers can be assessed." strongly 25X1
recommended that the Agency do a cross-directorate prototype study
-- perhaps by ordering five to ten copies of the most interesting
personal computers for each directorate -- and select the terminals
based on actual user experience rather than on paper requirements
alone. In order to conduct such a study, he pointed out, the
prohibition against the use of personal computers in the draft HR
10-26 would have to be eased. agreed that this could 25X1
L -
10. agreed with those members who felt that detailed 25X1
requirements, costs, and implication information was necessary
before a final decision is made and suggested that an independent,
outside contract tnekl the problem. In response--to-a question from 25X1
7suggested a six month study by a team of
consultants -- perhaps one from IBM, one from Wang, a specialist in
personal computers, and an overall contractor to coordinate the
effort. The price to fo such a study, he felt, would be about
$500 thousand. further indicated that OD&E could act as 25X1
the contracting office if the so wished. In response to a
question from about the length of time such a 25X1
study would take, "bet his E-Systems credit card" that 25X1
OD&E could complete such a study in six months. 25X1
ll. suggested that the group not 25X1
get involved in
any lengthy studies of the problem because "there will never be any
one terminal or device that will answer our automation needs --
t-echnology is moving too fast." He further recommended that the
Agency needed to adopt--.a ":f,lexi.b.le a..t.r,a.tegy" ' fo.r de.a.l ing'kwi th the
(Q-NF DFNT"UHH
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inevitable changes and improvements that advancing technology would
provide. F I 25X1
12. In answer to query about funding for the 25X1
effort, -]confirmed that $5.00 thousand could be made 25X1
avai.labl.e.. He commended the wisdom of. investing in -an assessment of
the implications for the Agency's overall architecture "in order to
avoid a horrible kludge downstream." He further suggested that the
Board adopt a two-pronged strategy -- first, a contract study of the
requirements, costs, and implications of moving to personal
computers; second, and simultaneously, a prototype study
concentrating on those personal computers already being used by the
Agency. 25X1
13.I felt-that the decision to use 25X1
conmercia ly available personal computers in large numbers was "too
important. to be made on the basis of present information." He
suggested that the personal computer question be included in the
teleconferencing plan currently underway in ODP. He announced that
ODP would ask for user representatives to assist in the writing of
that plan and suggested that members of the Working Group could also
participate. Because the personal computer industry is currently in
a state of flux, he argued, the Agency should not commit itself to
the personal computer route too early. also agreed. 25X1
that a six month contracted study was a ro riate and volunteered
ODP as the contracting office. . 25X1
14. reminded the Board that the Working-Group I's final report was due in. August, although the recommendations
contained in the interim report were to be taken as final. He
wondered whether the additional questions raised by the Board could
be answered by the Working Group. The general consensus of the
Board was that the Working Group would have to devote full time to
such a study and, in any event, probably lacked some of the
expertise necessary to do a complete assessment of costs and
implications. Several Board members announced that they could not
,spare their representatives on the Working Group for even two or
three months full time. Several members suggested that the Working
Group-serve both as an advisor to the contractor first
sounding board for the contractor's report 25X1
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15. suggested that the Working Group be
asked to Tt n own on fir final report until the contractor's
effort had been completed. tated that he would write 25X1
such a memorandum to the gr g the Board's thanks for the
well-received Interim Report. mentioned that the Working 25X1
Group's. final report was inten e , in part, to inform ODP's
-impending request for proposals for follow-on workstations to the
current Delta Data contract. indicated that 25X1
sufficient time remained for that input and that the Working Group
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16.I (mentioned that he had not originally been in
favor of an outside contractor to do such a study but felt, that the
consensus of the Board was to proceed in that direction. He stated
that he would ask the DDA -- as head of the Directorate most
concerned with all the issues -- to or anize the effort. He
accepted the suggestion of that they
cooperate to write the statement of work and choose the. contract
team, and he asked to identify the funds. available for
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outside study assuming a maximum of six months and $500 thousand.
He also asked. to remove the restrictions on the use of
.personal computers-contained in until the study: had been
completed
:17 then adjourned_the meeting.
the Board will be-19-January 1984, at 1330 hours
topic will.be computer security..(U)
Distribution
.
. _ _ 1 - `Come t
I - 'D/.ODP
1 - D/OIS
1 - D/OS
. . Y - D/OCR
. 1 - - D/OD&E
1 - D/OSO
1 - D/NPIC
1 - D/OC
1 - D/ORD
1. - C/IMS
I. - C/ASG
1 -ER
1 - Planning.Staff
5
CONFIDENTIAL
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25X1
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The next meeting of 25X1
in room 7D64. The
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