Aviano preps for email migration

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Justin Weaver
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Aviano Air Base will soon become the next base in U.S. Air Forces in Europe to migrate its 5,000 computer users into a central Air Force Network.

The transition is the Air Force's way of centralizing computer users into one solid and standardized network, which allows one group of people to manage the entire network rather than individual base communications squadrons.

The most visible change will be in the format of the email address. The upcoming migration replaces the old first.last@aviano.af.mil e-mail address with a standard first.last@us.af.mil address.

"The new addresses will remain with users for the duration of their career, employment or affiliation with the Air Force, regardless of the base or organization to which they're assigned," said Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Wynn, 31st Communications Squadron AFNET project manager. "Until now, major commands 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 led to standardization and security problems, high operation and maintenance costs, and a lack of enterprise situational awareness."

Leaving the legacy addresses active lets users gradually transition into the new format and still receive emails from people who are not aware of the change. Email subscriptions, website logins, password recovery tools or anything else using the legacy address should be changed as soon as the migration is complete to avoid miscommunication.

After the migration, the 31st CS will still manage local servers; however, a higher level of management will sustain the core processes. Funneling the core processes through the centralized network should also enhance cyber security throughout the Air Force.
During the migration, email users can take the following steps to ensure a smooth transition.

"Users should backup their emails, files and PST's to disk prior to the upcoming migration," said Wynn. "Ensure your mailbox is cleaned up as much as possible and that it's not over its size limit for storage."

As more bases join the AFNet, Airmen will be able to log in to their accounts from any AFNet base without requesting and creating an additional account. This will allow easy access to the network during deployments and throughout temporary duty and permanent change of station moves. Sites such as the Air Force Portal, Air Force Personnel Center and Defense Finance Accounting Service will also remain easily accessible regardless of duty location.

"This approach will yield a significant improvement in the Air Force's ability to fight daily virus activity and malicious intrusion attempts," said Capt. Steven Fromm, 31st CS AFNet project officer. "Additionally, AFNet migrations 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."

For frequently asked questions, click here. To view and print the AFNET quick reference informational brochure, click here. To ensure a smooth transition to the AFNet, look for future updates in the Wyvern for additional migration-related information. For any questions or additional information, contact the 31st CS Communications Focal Point at 632-2666.