The new ACE model provides IT managers with more efficient operational oversight through central hosting of applications. Standardizing these applications allows the organization to streamline application management procedures and future system integrations. In establishing the new model, 147 national applications were converted to ACE and 574 local applications were retired or converted. More than 130,000 employee workstations were migrated to ACE and some 12,000 servers were removed from field sites.

Through ACE more than 2,000 unregistered Web sites, commercial off-the-shelf products, and non-ACE related items were identified in use in the Postal Service system. IT then either consolidated or eliminated these items from the system. This initiative will be ongoing, as will be the cost savings that are expected to be generated.

In 2005 IT will focus on:

• Expanding governance processes to clean up inconsistencies and to ensure infrastructure security and return on investment.

• Planning for new features and software upgrades.

• Eliminating unauthorized software products from the Postal Service system.

• Continuing to upgrade applications to a Web-based architecture.

2. Information Technology Security

The Postal Service maintained and measurably enhanced the security of its computing environment in 2004 through several significant initiatives.

IT continued to educate staff and evaluate the security of existing systems. The security of more than half of all systems that were assessed as critical and/or sensitive was certified. At the end of 2004, 57 percent of critical applications had compliant recovery plans in place. The security of computing technology was enhanced at more than 300 Postal Service mail processing facilities by providing an additional layer of protection to secure this core business area from internal and external threats and by hardening, or restricting, the services of computing devices in use at those facilities.

To protect the infrastructure from increasing external efforts to compromise Postal Service information resources, IT monitors and guards against intrusion attempts through the use of 5,000 sensors. In 2004 these devices scanned more than 13 million Internet e-mail messages and prevented hundreds of thousands of viruses and harmful e-mail messages from entering the system each month. Postal Service business partner connections and the Postal Service's own remote connectivity environment were also secured.

3. Universal Computing Connectivity

The Universal Computing Connectivity initiative will provide always available connectivity to the Postal Service computing environment for Postal Service managers and employees whose jobs require such access. The program involves the development of a system-wide network that combines voice, data, and video in a single design.

The Postal Service recognizes that new advanced information services will be necessary to meet new or changed requirements, to improve performance and reliability, and to reduce operating expenses. To ensure that the Postal Service will continue to employ current telecommunication services, IT awarded the Universal Computing Connectivity contract in October 2004. Under the contract, all telecommunication services and features that will be available to the Postal Service shall evolve and be increased, enhanced, and upgraded as changes take place in the telecommunications industry.

In 2004 the infrastructure of the BlackBerry system was enhanced and expanded. This wireless communications system provides remote communications capability to more than 4,000 Postal Service managers and Continuity of Operations team members, even when Postal Service facilities are without power or shut down. The BlackBerry system now includes additional functionality and twice the coverage area. By early 2005 the system will have an end-to-end remote administration capability.

In 2004 the bandwidth at more than 6,000 locations was upgraded to improve system performance when employees are connected to the network. An upgrade of 2,700 local area networks was implemented to improve service.