INL’s Cellular Data Stipend Jonathan Homer NLIT 2009

DOE IG-0669 “Contractor organizations to consider eliminating all use of Government-owned or managed cellular phones, where not critical to emergency response and continuity of operations, and adopting a flat rate reimbursement program for employees using personal cellular phones for official business.” - Recommendations, Section 2

User Experience Except: - Changes in Travel Plans - Unexpected Child Care Changes

Manager Experience

Cellular Department

User Experience

Manager Experience

Cellular Department

What Is A Stipend? Prepaid Compensation Covers business-use costs associated with cellular phone and/or data Pre-Tax Dollars

Result Of Stipend Implementation – Users Nearly eliminated “audit fear factor” (3% reportable vs. 60% previous program) Increased exposure to new technology through new devices and networks Reduced environmental impact by elimination of redundant equipment and services

Result Of Stipend Implementation - Management Reduced Labor Costs Reduced Audits and Assessments Eliminated Equipment – No INL hardware life cycle costs Prevents Legacy Accounts – Integrated into termination process

History 2005 INL Internal Audit led to a Business Council initiative to examine cell phone functionality and efficiency, reduce audit/compliance exposure, and avoid potential unallowable costs Office of Inspector General (OIG) Report DOE/IG-0669, Use and Management of Mobile Communications Services – recommended that the Department reimburse federal and contractor employees for the use of personal cell phones for official business INL implemented Cellular Stipend Program for voice service in 2006 Piloted data service in INL Internal Audit said about Cell Phones & Voice/Data Devices ► Wireless Tracking Database is not accurate – Vendor billing data and database do not agree – Database does not include T-Mobile Information ► Management oversight is inadequate but difficult to improve – High personal use carries audit and unallowable cost risks – Many cell phones have inappropriate service plans – Policies need improvement/updating (incidental use, emerging technologies, etc.) – INL continued to pay monthly service charges for lost, damaged and/or unassigned (e.g. terminated employee) cell phones ► Employees vulnerable to equipment abuse issues

What To Fix / What Not To Reduce Costs Reduce Audit Exposure Maintain Security Reduce Customer Exposure to Audits (misuse) Improve Customer Relations Decrease per-line costs Expand Data Connections (iPhone, etc) Increase Customers Paycheck

3 Step Process Setup the System Run The Pilot Get Customer Buy-in

Setting Up The System Have a Plan – Establish what you are trying to accomplish – Integrate management goals with operations path forward Build a System – Stipends don’t work unless fully automated (Significant ROI) – K.I.S.S.

Stipend Program Screenshot

Stipend Risks and Mitigation Personal & 3 rd Party Software – bleed-over – No difference between government owned and personal – MSC is applied to both devices equally Employee termination – device may not be able to be physically destroyed – No current government requirement – Device is wiped upon termination – No greater risk than a lost/stolen device

Stipend Risks And Mitigation (cont) Security investigations – potentially more difficult – Judge’s order may be needed – Not expected to be a common issue Sensitive foreign travel – security risks – Best practice calls for employee to use a pooled phone, regardless of government owned vs. personal

Setting Up The Pilot Define the scope – At the INL: 2006: Voice Pilot 2008: Data Pilot Define The Timeframe: – INL: Learned all our lessons in the first 90 days Define the Audience: – Cross cut organizations – Audience can be relatively small (50 individuals)

Leveraging Pilot For Continual Success When setting up pilot, select individuals from across the organization Involve pilot participants in regular discussions, get them talking and spreading the word for you Actively resolve pilot participant concerns – you want all the good rumors you can get Publish your pilot’s success as part of your full deployment

Getting The Lab Onboard Again - K.I.S.S. Focus on the customer benefits Have a defined communications program – all team members should share the same story Spend 10 minutes explaining the system One-On-One experience works best

Key Selling Points One device Choice of device Choice of providers No audits for misuse No additional cost

Stipend Population 2005: Internal Audit 2006: Voice Stipend 2008: Data Pilot Program 2009: Full Stipend Program available to lab 2010: Transition Complete

Conclusion No significant security risks introduced by the data stipend No breach of financial rules An automated tracking process was essential Keys to success: Effective organizational responsibilities, policy/procedures, and defined processes

Questions Or Comments?

Contact Information Jonathan Homer (208)

Customer Surveys 300 Employees Using Stipend 50 Managers Over Stipend’d Employees 300 Employees Not Using Stipend

Business Needs

Costs

Costs (cont)

Security

Abuse

Other Statistics 91% of managers feel that the stipend program reduces the lab’s exposure to risk (audits, abuse, etc). 87% of all survey participants who were not a part of the stipend program had already heard of the program by word of mouth. 66% of non-program participants wanted more information about the stipend