NASA personnel are increasingly adopting various collaborative, productivity, and computing tools to achieve their business objectives. However, they faced a challenge in adequately determining which of these tools were suitable for storing NASA data. As a result, decision-making regarding tool selection was set back by limited awareness of what was acceptable, resulting in limited tool efficiency and potential implications on work quality and quantity. Additionally, this lack of awareness increased the risk of data loss for NASA. It was crucial to provide NASA employees with sufficient information to make informed decisions about the permissibility status of these tools to ensure optimal work productivity and safeguard NASA’s data.

Solutions

Our solution for NASA’s challenge was a user-centric internal website. This website has a customer-centric front-end design that informs NASA employees about the appropriate use of tools. We integrated with NASA’s preferred two-phased approach to ensure that we built the right solution correctly. The website required a comprehensive back-end content management system, which allows assigned Agency personnel to enter new entries, such as approved or unapproved services. This system eliminates the need for a System Owner/Administrator to manage entries. Our solution provided NASA personnel with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions regarding the suitability of tools for storing data. It enhanced work productivity and safeguarded data, ensuring optimal performance of NASA’s collaborative and commodity IT services.

Results and Outcomes

Our solution has successfully addressed the lack of awareness among NASA personnel regarding the suitability of computing tools for storing NASA data. The website provides a comprehensive list of approved and unapproved tools along with information on use cases and needs that the tools are best suited for. The website has helped guide NASA employees in their decision-making process when selecting tools for new projects.