Air Force IM keeps family, coworkers connected

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) --  Deployed Airmen no longer have to wait in line at the phone bank to communicate with their loved ones back home thanks to the Air Force Portal instant messaging system. 

The Friends and Family Instant Messaging service allows each Airman to sign up five guest users who are then permitted to use the messaging software. 

"In the last year we've rolled out the Friends and Family capability," said Lt. Col. Alan Fiorello, Air Combat Command Chief Information Officer support chief. "The instant messaging capability has been available on the portal for several years now." In the meantime, the Air Force has incorporated other services in the messenger feature, "so you can also IM folks on the Army and Navy systems as well," he said. 

The IM system was originally designed to allow Airmen at different bases to collaborate on projects more easily; but now it also functions as a guaranteed morale boost for Airmen in the field, said Lt. Col. David Gindhart, Global Combat Support Systems program director. 

"All Airmen need to do is create an account for their loved ones and they can chat whenever they have access to the Web without jeopardizing Air Force network security," said Colonel Gindhart. 

To sign up, follow these steps: 

Log into the Air Force Portal 

-- In the upper right hand corner, click on the My Profile tab
-- Then click on the Manage FFIM tab
-- Click on Add an Account
-- Fill out the required information (name, e-mail address) and read the user policy
-- Click on Register 

Two e-mails will then be sent automatically to the friend or family member's address.  The first contains the individual's username; the second will be a temporary password. The guest then has 24 hours to log into the portal and create their own unique password, which they'll use from that point on. 

Rules on when and how long an Airman can chat depends on the rules established by the commanders on the ground, Colonel Fiorello said. 

"We still have a mission to get done out there," he explained. "But it's also a tool to get that mission done because you can IM Air Force people there or at home station. It's a great collaboration tool." 

Colonel Fiorello said the Air Force saw advantages to using IM programs but was concerned about network security; this is one reason why other instant messaging programs cannot be used on government computers. 

"We saw the power of the program to collaborate within the Air Force," he said. "But if you bring in third-party software, you also introduce a lot of risk to the network. Having an Air Force solution to this need, we ensure security for our networks." 

Colonel Fiorello said he knows first-hand the value of the IM program, having used it during a recent deployment to Bosnia. 

"I thought it was a great tool," he said. "Not only for communicating with my family, but if any of my coworkers had questions, they could use that too."