Desktop computers have been replaced with laptops for all employees, all file storage has been migrated from on-premises servers to cloud storage, says NARA, which has struggled providing timely access to service records. Image: archives.gov
By: FEDweek StaffThe National Archives and Records Administration has said that the expansion of telework capacity for employees working at its National Personnel Records Center has positioned the center to be more efficient, including by enabling work to continue when otherwise it would have stopped.
NARA made that comment in a plan that Congress ordered last year on how the agency will address the backlog of requests for military records—needed in many cases to establish eligibility for benefits—from that facility in St. Louis. Along with process and IT improvements, the report also contains one of the first assessments by an agency of the impact of telework at a time when the mix of onsite vs. offsite work in federal agencies has become a political issue.
Said the report, “Prior to the pandemic, NPRC staff did not have the capability to service requests remotely and telework was not available to most NPRC staff. As staff had to be on-site to work with the paper records, our ability to process citizen requests was severely diminished whenever access to the facility was limited.”
“During the pandemic, NARA deployed a large number of improvements to technology and business processes . . . New, secure capabilities have allowed our technicians to search our growing repository of digitized veteran records, find responsive records, and deliver the results remotely, from outside of our facility.”
“Desktop computers have been replaced with laptops for all employees, all file storage has been migrated from on-premises servers to cloud storage, and investments in system modernization will provide for greater speed and efficiency in operations,” it said.
“The investments made in remote work have substantially improved NARA’s mission resilience. Our remote work functionality allows our staff to work from home in conditions that would otherwise stop production. For example, in a recent weather emergency, NPRC staff responded to more than 4,000 requests while working remotely, whereas prior to the pandemic the Center would have closed for the entire day and output would have been zero,” it said.
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