Telecommunications Network

NASA Could Better Manage Its Planned Consolidation Gao ID: AIMD-96-33 April 9, 1996

NASA has yet to finalize its strategy for consolidating the management and the operations of its wide-area telecommunications network, although it has made some important decisions. NASA plans to begin consolidating its networks immediately at the Marshall Space Flight Center and procuring services from commercial providers in fiscal year 1998. NASA's decision to consolidate its networks offers the potential for savings. Nevertheless, in adopting its current strategy, NASA neither considered alternatives suggested by officials at centers other than Marshall nor tried to do a complete review of its networking needs to determine how best to satisfy them independently of its ongoing networking activities.

GAO found that: (1) NASA has 5 existing or planned wide area networks that provide a variety of communications services; (2) prompted by improvements in communications technology and the need to control costs, NASA intends to consolidate the networks; (3) in August 1995, NASA implemented a plan expected to save $236 million over the next 6 years that will consolidate all of its telecommunications services at the Marshall Space Flight Center; and (4) the adopted plan does not seek near term cost savings as aggressively as other existing proposals.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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