The Library of National Intelligence (LNI) – A Possible Cloud Application

In the MAZZ-INT Blog a couple of weeks ago, Joe Mazzafro artile on “Intelliigence and the Concept of Customer” stated that a “realistic business model for the IC to assume is that of the modern IT enabled and accessed publicly funded library — but with its own content provisioning capability”

In his description customers would submit “Requests for Information (RFIs)” that would be either produced or procured by the IC and organized for effective use. He saw this as akin to the the Library of National Intelligence (LNI) concept that is part of the DNI’s Analytic Transformation Initiative.

I saw it as a perfect application for cloud computing.

“Like any IT enabled virtual library, the LNI will allow not just for reuse of intelligence, but for simultaneous use of its products and services. More importantly with existing Business Intelligence (BI) analytics and Customer Relations Management (CRM) software, the LNI can provide the IC’s management with both the quantitative and qualitative metrics for what is being used where why as well as what intelligence needs are going under or unmet. Moreover, BI and CRM capabilities in an LNI context would allow the IC to segment it offerings so the IC can align what it produces with the detail, timeliness, and classification needs of the spectrum of intelligence users from the President, to an ambassador on station, to a military squad on patrol, or a customs agent in the port of Long Beach.”

With appropriate security and access control, this seems to also be a needed function in the net-centric warfare world.