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AFSOC migrates email to cloud-based system

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Melanie Holochwost
  • Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs

Email is about to get bigger and better for most Air Commandos.

After hearing complaints of prolonged outages and slow connection speeds, leaders at Air Force Special Operations Command decided to take action.

"AFSOC/A6 has been looking at options to improve our users' NIPRNet experience," said Col. Anthony Thomas, AFSOC director of Communications and Information. "We researched many options such as moving to [United States Special Operations Command] unclassified network (SOFNET-U) or using the AF's NIPRNet way ahead, Collaboration Pathfinder. This week, Lt. Gen. [Brad] Webb decided we will stay in line with the AF's Initiative and work with Air Force Space Command to transition AFSOC units and users to Collaboration Pathfinder."

Email will migrate to a cloud-based system this month. Other Microsoft Office 365 services such as SharePoint, One Drive, and Skype for Business will follow later on in the year, according to Maj. Alphanso Adams, chief of the Requirements Integration Branch at AFSOC/A6.

The new cloud-based system will offer greater storage options without compromising strict security requirements.

Currently, the standard email box holds 100 megabytes, which causes inboxes to fill up frequently. But, 100 gigabytes is about to be the new standard, Adams said.

“Users will also be allocated an additional 100GB of archive storage to hold infrequently accessed e-mails,” he said. “This will enable all but the heaviest of e-mail users to eliminate the need to archive or store e-mails directly to the computer.” 

So far, 10 Air Force bases have migrated to the new system, Adams said.

“Holloman, Malmstrom, Goodfellow, Offutt, Whiteman, Fairchild, Patrick, Davis-Monthan, Shaw, and Hanscom, all reported much success,” he said.

Unfortunately, not all Air Commandos are eligible, Adams said. Due to technical limitations, Air Commandos stationed overseas or who are assigned to a medical group will not be able to migrate at this time. Additionally, Airmen who have PCS orders to move within six months or who are on student status will remain on the old system.

“As with all migrations, this requires three things: planning, execution and patience,” he said. “Users will have to follow the published instructions exactly to connect to the new e-mail service. Failure to do so will significantly delay their ability to access e-mail once the migration occurs.” 

Adams said each location has a designated point-of-contact at the communications squadron with full understanding of the process and requirements for the migration. Instructions for each user, as well as timeline, is located on the SharePoint site.

For more information, search “CHES” on SharePoint.