Abstract

Intelligence services—among other entities—must organize information in ways that facilitate their operations. The information technology (IT) that agencies develop follows the contours of how agencies use data in furtherance of their objectives. Therefore, it can be read as a microcosm of agencies writ large. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s use of IT provides a case study of this. IT evolved to serve the needs of individual programs (e.g., counterintelligence, criminal investigations) and only once this had occurred did the FBI begin to develop a corporate enterprise architecture aimed at integrating the organization’s multiple facets. Examining the evolution of the FBI’s IT serves multiple purposes. From a historical perspective it provides insights into the institutional thought process, reflected in IT decisions, that drove operations. It also provides a lens through which to assess future development of IT systems—specifically, how an IT decision will impact the FBI’s culture and ability to effectively carry out its mission.

摘要

情报部门——以及其他实体——必须以促进其行动的方式组织信息。机构开发的信息技术 (IT) 遵循机构如何使用数据来促进其目标的轮廓。因此，它可以被解读为机构的缩影. 联邦调查局 (FBI) 对 IT 的使用为此提供了一个案例研究。IT 发展到满足个别项目的需求（例如，反情报、刑事调查），只有在这种情况发生后，FBI 才开始开发旨在整合组织多个方面的企业企业架构。检查 FBI 的 IT 发展有多种用途。从历史的角度来看，它提供了对机构思维过程的洞察，反映在 IT 决策中，推动了运营。它还为评估 IT 系统的未来发展提供了一个视角，特别是 IT 决策将如何影响 FBI 的文化和有效执行其任务的能力。