The Defense Academy Of The UK Implements A Cost-Effective Open Source Strategy

The Defense Academy was formed in April 2002 as a result of the 2001 Defense Training Review. The Academy is a military and academic community that provides professional and personal development to some 11,600 students per year.

The mission of the Defense Academy is to deliver high-quality education and training, research and advice in order to sustain and enhance operational capability and advance the defense and security interests of the United Kingdom. The Academy provides education in the management of defense at government level; leadership at the corporate and strategic level across defense; command and staff training; and the management and exploitation of military technology.

Minimal User Training And Cost-Effective Rollout
The Defense Academy, due to the constant high rate of military staff and student turnover, required a system that needed a minimal user training. Most staff are not prepared to learn a new interface to access a repository/document management system. Hence, the system needed to appear as a shared drive that could be simply accessed via Windows Explorer and MS-Office through "drag-and-drop" and "save-as."