Navy signs deal for NKO portal upgrade

The Navy has awarded Appian Corp. of Vienna, Va., a multimillion dollar contract to upgrade the Navy Knowledge Online enterprise portal with features that make it easier for users to form collaborative and interactive portal pages that can be specialized for specific users, groups or missions.

The contract also includes ongoing support and maintenance of the portal, the purchase of additional hardware, beta-testing of an at-sea version of NKO and the development of Navy Knowledge Online Secret IP Router Network, a classified version of NKO. Appian will deploy the SIPRnet version for Navy directorates that perform classified work, including the Submarine Learning Center, the Center for Naval Intelligence and the Center for Naval Cryptology.

The upgraded version features identity management and personalization technologies that will enable every command, group and individual user to share their community portal pages with whomever they choose, based on individual or group profiles.

The Naval Education and Training Command chose the Appian Enterprise suite in July 2002 to power NKO. The command oversees training and educational opportunities for 350,000 active duty personnel. Today, NKO has more than 165,000 registered users.

"The rapid adoption of Navy Knowledge Online further underscores the demand for an enterprisewide, lifelong learning, personal development and knowledge management portal, to support not only the Navy's education and training initiatives, but also the way it does business," said Capt. James Kantner, Naval Personnel Development Command Knowledge manager.

"Navy Knowledge Online is quickly becoming the Navy's primary means of connecting sailors to the information and subject-matter expertise they need to be successful in their chosen careers, as well as to their peers, so that they can share and learn from each other's experiences," he said.

The Army Knowledge Online portal, which has more than 1.4 million users, was also built on Appian products.