DISA program among finalists for Excellence.gov award

A Defense Information System Agency collaboration platform is up for honors as a top example of government management and IT.

Defense Connect Online, a Defense Department-wide tool used for both classified and unclassified information sharing, is one of five contenders to be recognized for excellence in intergovernmental collaboration. The awards program is facilitated by the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC).

"ACT-IAC is once again honored to provide a premiere forum for recognizing the exceptional work being done and the value being delivered through government programs," Dale Luddeke, IAC chair, said in a released statement from ACT-IAC. "In each instance, the finalists have inspired us all to seek new, innovative, and collaborative ways to approach the most challenging areas of mission and business needs and to achieve ever greater levels of service and efficiency."

In total, there are 25 finalists across five categories for the awards. According to DISA, DCO "is a free service provided to all DOD partners, allowing users to communicate and share information in a secure forum through the use of instant messaging, low-bandwidth text chat and audio/video Web conferencing." Winners will be announced at an awards luncheon, to be held March 5 in Washington.