organization remain vigilant and continue its commitment to maintaining the security of Postal Service information resources.

     During 2003, the IT organization moved closer to offering computing connectivity 24 hours a day, seven days a week, not only to managers, but also to other employees across the organization. Known as the universal computing connectivity initiative, this program has involved the development of a corporate-wide network that combines voice, data, and video in a single design. In support of this initiative, consolidated, managed network services that provide high-speed access for all users have been evaluated and implemented.

     In the last year, IT successfully transitioned five critical sites (Headquarters, San Mateo, Eagan, Chicago, and Raleigh) to a high-speed data network. The transition of the 500 largest field sites was also completed, as was the transition of 39 out of the 196 network storage devices. Currently, IT is evaluating providers' proposals for the next phase of the project — the transition of 15,000 field sites to this network.

     Another area of focus has been making management connectivity more portable by further developing and implementing BlackBerry technologies. During 2003, a wireless BlackBerry infrastructure was established and efforts to make the Postal Service's "continuity of operations plan" information available to over 2,100 managers via these devices were well underway. The electrical blackout of the northeastern United States in mid-2003 put the system to one of its first tests and proved its value to managers, who were kept in contact even when Postal Service facilities were without power. The goal of this connectivity initiative is to simplify the difficult jobs of managers by enabling them to use their time more effectively and accomplish their objectives through the use of handheld devices that provide wireless communications, anytime, anywhere.

     In 2004, IT will continue its work on the connectivity initiative, focusing largely on the transition of 15,000 field sites to the new high-speed network. This and other related initiatives will bring universal connectivity to even more employees over the next year.

     Key to the IT organization's goal of centralizing and simplifying operations is the creation of an enterprise data warehouse - a collection of data from multiple sources that provides a single repository for the Postal Service's information resources. Currently, applications across the Postal Service collect and report redundant data and create a situation in which data may be entered differently in two systems. Not only does the creation of a data warehouse reduce the potential for information to be entered differently in two systems, but it also reduces the amount of time that staff must devote to querying systems and retrieving information.

     Currently, the Postal Service supports an average of 100,000 queries to its databases each day. Demands will increase as the organization completes its conversion to a monthly reporting financial system that requires the collection, storage, and use of detailed data, summarized in daily, weekly, and monthly views. Postal Service databases are being asked to respond to these and other increasing requirements, and the new EDW initiative will be key to an efficient and effective response.

     During 2003, IT transitioned 12 systems (five of which included Retail/POS, Retail Accounting, Purchasing, Transportation Contracts/Performance, and General Ledger) to the EDW. The transition of five additional applications is in progress.

     In the next year the Postal Service will integrate even more applications into the enterprise data warehouse. With more and more applications using the technology, there will be a need to implement policies and procedures to govern its use. IT already has plans to create and enforce the guidelines needed to ensure the accuracy of information in the warehouse, thereby establishing the