Exclusive Look at FBI's New Sentinel System 27
gManZboy writes "Six years and $450 million into the project, the FBI's Sentinel case-management system appears to be almost ready for deployment. Sentinel aims to replace a hodge-podge of digital and paper processes with purely digital workflows, helping FBI agents collaborate and "connect the dots" on investigations. The question now is how well the problem-plagued system will live up to those expectations. FBI CIO Chad Fulgham demonstrated Sentinel for InformationWeek on March 28, the first time the agency has shown its new case-management system to an outsider. 'This isn't just a case-management system. It's a great platform to grow on,' Fulgham said during the demo at FBI headquarters. The agency's IT team plans to move other apps over to Sentinel, giving them a similar look and feel on the same underlying hardware."
What is it? Sharepoint? (Score:1)
If so, how many ex-FBI contracting officers can now be found at Microsoft as "senior executives in charge of golf-ball washing"?
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Wouldn't be surprised at all. Every time I've had a piece of software pitched to me as "more than just an X", it means it's "not even an X, but it could be, someday!"
... loosely resembles Microsoft Outlook (Score:5, Funny)
The user dashboard loosely resembles Microsoft Outlook
Well see now they're behind the curve again and they are going to have to redo the whole system as a giant screen covered with monochromatic rectangles containing enigmatic ideograms in order to keep up with the 21st century.
I Hope They Consulted With Hollywood (Score:3)
April Fools (Score:3, Funny)
The government could never pull this off.
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Actually, what happened to all the dumb April Fools sotries? I wanted to continue my twelve year tradition of pointing out to the noisy whiners that they do it every year!
Now I'm being the whiner. :(
they almost got me... (Score:5, Funny)
I totally believed this was a legitimate story until I got to the last paragraph:
The official word from the FBI is that the system will be launched "in the summer." Fulgham expressed confidence that Sentinel will not only work as advertised, but even come in a few million dollars under its $451 million budget. But if there are any last-minute glitches, Fulgham won't be around to fix them. Let's hope he's not needed.
I was willing to accept that the government managed to produce a functional, apparently well received and highly usable system. But a government project that came in under budget? That's pushing credibility a bit too far.
Re:they almost got me... (Score:5, Informative)
It actually is legit. Here's an article from 2010 giving the same budget numbers, and saying that it will be ready by 2011 at the earliest. Getting close to ready in 2012 then seems about right. Story [fiercegovernmentit.com]
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more effecient racism and bigotry (Score:1)
Great, now they can be bigots and racists far more effeciently
rights eroding away (Score:3, Insightful)
We use to laugh at the Soviets, but we have entered the same level of a police state.
Fundamentally, the Soviets had reasons for maintaining their level of security. 200M Russians died during WWII. They did not want to be subjugate to serfdom.
The American Revolution was fought over less intrusive a system than the one that we currently have. But then, the American Revolution was fought not so much over the desire for taxation without representation, but rather, as John Hancock said, "[He] did not want to give one red cent to King George of England." Ironic, as Hancock had more wealth then he could ever spend in his lifetime. Hancock employed half the population of Boston and owned one third of the property. American people sacrificed their lives for far less gain.
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200M Russians died during WWII.
I believe it was more like 20 million.
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Just another example of our rights to search and seizure eroding away.
Based on what? Sentinel is an investigation tool, not a surveillance system. You may not like the name but this will help them prosecute and convict interstate criminals faster and cheaper because they will have electronic tools at their disposal to assist in finding patterns and links when a human can't.
Re:Sentinel is an investigation tool, not a survei (Score:1)
You don't have a "Total Surveillance System" in place, you have a "Terrorist Surveillance System".
Its not the "Department of War" but "Department of Defense"!
Yes there is a need for finding, prosecuting and convicting criminals, but it turns out that these systems get subjugatged for other uses.
o.m.g (Score:2)
thought i had a deja vu ... (Score:1)
aims to replace a hodge-podge of digital and paper processes with purely digital workflows, helping FBI agents collaborate and "connect the dots" on investigations. The question now is how well the problem-plagued system will live up to those expectations
... but i know i have seen this before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=YeY1dxlC7Sg#t=109s [youtube.com]