Air Force Network Migrations on the way to Goodfellow Published Aug. 7, 2012 By Tech. Sgt. Mario Zaragoza 17th Communications Squadron GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE ,Texas -- Goodfellow will soon be migrating its computer users into a central Air Force Network (AFNet). Over a 30 day period beginning Oct. 1, technicians will begin transitioning Goodfellow workstations, network users, and email into the AFNet. The goal of this project is to collapse all individual or stand-alone Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard networks into the AFNet. During the migration, some Goodfellow users may experience network or email access interruptions, but for the majority, user impact will be minimal. Although software and hardware problems are to be expected, the AFNet migration project represents a major change to how computer networks are managed, and is one of the most complex Department of Defense technology initiatives ever attempted. Until now, MAJCOMs and various other Air Force organizations have been operating their own independent networks, consequently driving unique and unit specific requirements. Over the years, this approach has led to standardization and security problems, high operation and maintenance costs, and a lack of enterprise situational awareness. In short, there was no single organization or commander responsible for the network. The AFNet migration project addresses these issues, and places Air Force cyber operations under the operational control of a single commander. This approach will yield a significant improvement in the Air Force's ability to fight daily virus activity and malicious intrusion attempts. Additionally, AFNet migration will centralize services like email and data storage, significantly improving network security and standardization. Finally, operational and training costs will be reduced through the elimination of redundant systems and services. So how will this affect you? The most visible change will be in the format of your email address. The migration formally replaces the old first.last@goodfellow.af.mil email address with a standard first.last@us.af.mil address. Regardless of the base or organization assigned, this new address will remain with users for the duration of their career, employment, or affiliation with the Air Force. As more bases join the AFNet, Airmen will be able to log into their accounts from any AFNet base without requesting and creating an additional account, allowing easy access to the network during deployments, and throughout TDY or PCS moves. Sites such as the Air Force Portal, Air Force Personnel Center, Defense Finance Accounting Service, will also remain easily accessible regardless of duty location. As Goodfellow approaches its projected start date, a team of technicians from the Air Force Network Integration Center, 690th Network Support Group, and the 17th Communications Squadron are busy preparing equipment and resources to facilitate the migration of almost 5,000 users. Additional migration related information will be provided to users via Communication Advisories to help ensure a smooth transition.
