Virtual Collaboration for a Distributed Enterprise

Breakthroughs in satellite and fiber-optic telecommunication networks and related technologies currently enable almost instantaneous transmission of information across the globe. Many private and public organizations have become used to depending on the global information grid to perform their daily operations. A firm with headquarters in the United States can interact with multiple affiliates and customers located on the other side of the globe in real time. With such technological advances, the need has arisen for virtual collaboration means that allow personnel at geographically diverse sites to interact and communicate effectively. Having the most effective means of virtual collaboration and ensuring they are used in the most effective way are paramount to achieving error-free, real-time communication, a goal that is particularly important for military operations. In this report we address the virtual collaboration needs of organizations whose components have wide geographic distribution, such as U.S. military intelligence organizations or U.S. military operational units.