Free to Flow

As information systems evolved within the Department of Defense (DoD), safeguards were developed to protect the information being stored and processed. The levels of protection put in place are commensurate with the potential consequences of inappropriate disclosure, following the US government's policy of information sharing based on "need to know." The military's homeland defense mission and the intelligence and law enforcement communities' homeland security mission require greater collaboration. This shift for collaboration necessitates a process for evaluating information exchanges for improved information synchronization between DoD and non-DoD operations. Multi-level security information systems are an approach to solving this challenge.There are a number of technology solutions that facilitate multilevel security information sharing. These solutions involve data replication through trusted interfaces, information passing through controlled protocols, and sophisticated, single systems that allow multiple interfaces at various security levels. Since agencies already have huge investments in their information technology infrastructure, it is necessary to identify solutions that capitalize on existing investments. This research explains the current state of the art in multi-level security technologies, identifies technology gaps, but most importantly, defines an approach to evaluate collaboration solutions against threats to information assurance.