The first group to get access to Flank Speed will be the 266,000 personnel who are either active Commercial Virtual Remote (CVR) users or part of the subset of Navy Marine Corps Internet (NMCI) users who have already been transitioned to O365 (NMCI O365). Approximately 472,000 users are targeted to get access to Flank Speed by the end of FY21.
On June 15, CVR Teams goes away for all Department of Defense users, including the Navy.
By October 1, NMCI O365 will also cease to exist.
Forever. No exceptions.
While those commercially-operated environments provided a crucial means of communication during pandemic-constricted work situations, the retirement of NMCI O365 and CVR as outlined in NAVADMIN 074/21, clears the way for an improved, Navy-operated Flank Speed cloud.
Named after the extreme engine order given to ship handlers to evade danger or outpace threats, Flank Speed will be an evolving information technology initiative and the epicenter of Navy unclassified systems for years to come.
To initiate this evolution, more than 260,000 current users of CVR and NMCI O365 will receive a series of detailed emails with instructions explaining how to prepare for and gain access to Flank Speed. Along with a specific date of transition, the emails provide personnel time to familiarize themselves with required actions well ahead of their given enablement date.
Command information officers (CIOs) and designated "Champions" familiar with the transition process are also available to assist at the unit-level.
In addition to those resources, CAC cardholders have access to the SECNAV Portal Flank Speed page. This site has plenty of information, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), a Flank Speed 101 Brief, Flank Speed "Slick Sheets," a CVR Sunset Fact Sheet, and various NAVADMINS pertaining to the transition.
This page is located at: https://portal.secnav.navy.mil/orgs/OPNAV/N2N6/DDCION/FlankSpeed
Flank Speed will provide increased data security in a new cloud environment, improve user experience, and provide modern collaboration capabilities to support the enduring remote and distributed workforce. Welcome aboard!
Quick Facts
- June 1 marks the date for the first set of users to gain access to Flank Speed. At that time, selected users will receive the keys to this higher-octane, more secure cloud powered by M365.
- From Day One, Flank Speed users will have access to Teams, one terabyte (1TB) of OneDrive storage, and access to the full productivity suite from M365 to include Excel, Word, OneNote, and PowerPoint. Users will also retain access to old CVR accounts until it shuts down on June 15, and NMCI O365 until it reaches its end of life later this fiscal year. As network performance supports, every Navy employee will have access to the Flank Speed cloud.
- A secure cloud environment built on the advanced security principles of zero trust, supporting unclassified systems and operating at security Impact Level 5 (IL-5), to accommodate data at the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) level
- Ability to download data using Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) with VPN connection
- Ability to access Flank Speed M365 tools from the Internet using personal and GFE laptops with CAC-authentication
