Telecommuting Comes to Afghanistan

Photo By Capt. Julie Glaubach | Spc. Aerick Gomez, webmaster for the 313th Joint Movement Control Battalion and a native of Lorton, Va., works with his supervisor, Staff Sgt. Christopher Hagy, officer in charge of the 313th JMCB signal section and a native of Huntington, W.Va., to establish the best format for the battalion’s SharePoint website.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

01.28.2011

Courtesy Story

313th Joint Movement Control Battalion

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Microsoft SharePoint is the way of future military communications and coordination. It allows the military and its service members to set up web sites, manage documents from start to finish, and publish reports to assist in better decision making.

SharePoint and information technology specialists like Spc. Aerick Gomez, webmaster for the 313th Joint Movement Control Battalion from Baltimore, Md., and a native of Lorton, Va., enable service members to respond to changing business needs by creating a forum for sharing ideas and expertise, creating custom solutions for specific needs and finding the right information to make better decisions.

“For S-6 [signal] shops, SharePoint helps to produce documents that assist in training and walk-throughs,” said Gomez. “It saves time and effort, allowing service members more time to focus on solutions rather than focusing on a communication problem.”

A commander’s guidance working together with the skill of a Knowledge Management expert, can decide what information should be accessed, what information should be private, and what information should be on the portal at all.

Gomez is the battalion’s knowledge management expert, working for the commander of the 313th JMCB. His talents created an easily accessible, useful SharePoint site that is currently easing communications with subordinate units.

“What Gomez did was awesome,” said Maj. Gregory Glasow, 313th JMCB support operations officer and contracting officer representative. “It’s going to make everybody’s life easier with remissions, cancellations, issues and allows better tracking,” added the Littleton, Colo., native.

That is exactly what SharePoint offers. It is not only a file repository but a tool that increases overall productivity by significantly improving communication among those who access the system.

SharePoint provides document libraries which, when created correctly, allow for easy transportation of information without ever leaving a specific duty location. The 313th JMCB has 15 subordinate units in more than 20 total locations across Afghanistan. The ability to share information quickly and without travel is paramount to mission success.

“If user A in Kandahar wants to share a file with user B in Bagram, the user simply uploads a file to the intended document library. Seconds later, user B can now access that file without the two users ever needing to be in the same location,” said Gomez.

Military members can coordinate with others from all around the world through SharePoint, meaning fewer service members need to travel and risk danger in order to conduct business.

“SharePoint acts as a one-stop shop,” said Gomez. “The system reduces the 6,000 emails users generally receive each day and works as a file repository. It also enables users to create custom lists very similar to an excel spreadsheet.”

Also, service members do not have to login every day to view changes. A list alert sends a notification when certain criteria are met, such as a new item created, or a document edited. SharePoint also assists in system security and file integrity, preventing access to documents by those who are not privy to them.

“The site provides exclusive permissions, such as the ability to view, but not edit documents, or manage which users can edit or delete documents,” Gomez explained.

“You can also edit the permissions of files, which allows users to access only the files requested,” he added.

The system is military telecommuting at its best, particularly when it is managed by a pro like Gomez.

“He did everything and more that we wanted him to do,” said Glasow regarding the creation of the 313th JMCB’s SharePoint site.

It brings together the assets and skill sets of service members all around the world and is one more way to support cohesive and successful efforts in Afghanistan.

• Date Taken: 01.28.2011
• Date Posted: 01.31.2011 01:30
• Story ID: 64496
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF