Providing Enterprise Information Services for Multinational Interoperability - The EIM Approach

Coalition operations for multi-national forces require network enabled coalition interoperability to be effective. There are many opportunities to provide the capability for coalition interoperability, but there are also many challenges. In this paper, we will identify the opportunities for enabling information sharing for coalition forces, identify the associated challenges of integrating information systems and providing appropriate levels of security, and then present a framework called EIM Enterprise Information Management that enables coalition interoperability. The proposed EIM framework spans the range of structured, semi-structured and unstructured data sources to provide an extensible framework that uses a virtual repository engine. Our framework has the advantage of being able to deliver information using thin-client, browser-based access for multiple devices and form factors. It provides secure search across system boundaries and disparate data sources. We present an application of the EIM framework in an unclassified domain that shows how it enables information interoperability on-demand. The EIM framework enables data management with full audit trails and provides business process management and workflow across organization boundaries.