Air Force network migrations on the way Published Aug. 8, 2011 By Staff Reports 90th Communications Squadron F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- F. E . Warren Air Force Base will soon become the next base to migrate its computer users into a "central" Air Force Network. This fall, technicians will begin migrating Warren's workstations, network users and e-mail into the AFNet. The goal of this project is to collapse all "individual" or "stand-alone" Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard networks into the AFNet. To the majority of users, most of the changes will be transparent and should not cause any interruption to network access or normal day-to-day operations, but for the Air Force, it represents a "major" change to how computer networks are managed. Until now, Air Force Global Strike Command as well as other major commands and various other Air Force organizations have been operating their own "independent" networks, consequently driving unique and unit specific requirements. Over the years, this approach led to standardization and security problems, high operation and maintenance costs, and a lack of enterprise situational awareness. In short, there was no "single" organization or commander responsible for the network. The AFNet migration project addresses these issues, and places Air Force cyber operations under the operational control of a single commander. This approach will yield a significant improvement in the Air Force's ability to fight daily virus activity and malicious intrusion attempts. Additionally, AFNet migrations will centralize services such as e-mail and data storage, significantly improving network security and standardization. Finally, operational and training costs will be reduced through the elimination of redundant systems and services. So how will this affect you? The most visible change will be in the format of your e-mail address. The migration replaces the old "first.last@.af.mil" e-mail address with a standard "first.last@us.af.mil" address. The new addresses will remain with users for the duration of their career, employment, or affiliation with the Air Force regardless of the base or organization assigned. As more bases join the AFNet, Airmen will be able to login to their accounts from any AFNet base without requesting and creating an additional account. This will allow easy access to the network during deployments, and throughout temporary duty assignments and permanent change of station moves. Sites such as the Air Force Portal, Air Force Personnel Center and Defense Finance Accounting Service, will also remain easily accessible regardless of your duty location. As Warren approaches its projected start date, technicians from the Air Force Network Integration Center, 690th Network Support Group, and 90th Communication Squadron are busy preparing equipment and resources to facilitate the migration of almost 3,200 users. To ensure a smooth transition to the AFNet, look for future 90th CS generated eAdvisories for additional migration related information. If you have questions, please contact the 90th CS Communications Focal Point at 773-4545.