In 2001, the Postal Service focused on initiatives that address customer demand. Originally deployed in 2000, the Postal Service upgraded the Confirm system. As one of the primary projects designed to enhance USPS’s relationship with its customers by providing them with detailed information about the status of their mail, the Confirm system already allows participating mailers to “see” when individual mail pieces are scanned by postal equipment or employees. This capability will be extended so that customers will be able to “see” delivery information for both mail that they send and receive.

In addition to focusing on new business opportunities, the Postal Service focused on streamlining internal processes that reduce costs. In 2001, The Postal Service successfully deployed the Surface-Air Support System and the Surface-Air Support System. A critical system in the Postal Service’s strategic partnership with Federal Express, SAMS assigns surface and air transportation and supports the payment of the air carriers. SASS is the corresponding reporting mechanism. Together, these systems help the Postal Service reduce transportation costs and optimize the transportation services necessary to support operations. In order to streamline the internal process of resource timekeeping, the Postal Service designed and deployed the Time and Attendance Collection System (TACS). TACS replaces five disparate time-keeping systems, and will provide supervisors with accurate, real-time labor data. This single-source system reduces data entry and analysis time, enabling managers to make more informed decisions more quickly. Other examples of automated processes include eTravel, a travel voucher system, and eBuy, a supply order and payment system.

With external-facing systems such as the EPM and the many internal system highlighted above, the Postal Service is extending the public’s trust from our secure and reliable delivery of paper mail to our secure and reliable electronic transmission of data. By investing in the security of information technology, the Postal Service protects the 1.3 million e-mail messages that are processed daily and the 8 million visitors to the usps.com Web site each month. The Postal Service outlined its approach to enhancing security in its Information Security Five-year Strategic Plan. To realize that strategic vision, the Postal Service established an Information Security Executive Council to provide leadership and direction across the enterprise. We also established a Computer Incident Response Team to rapidly identify, analyze, contain, and respond to security threats. In addition to updating our plans and testing our infrastructure, we developed an enterprise-wide awareness and training program.