Arlington, Virginia (November 17, 2005) – Development InfoStructure (Devis), a leading provider of information technology consulting services, is promoting the availability of two federal government-to-citizen Web tools designed to help U.S. military families. Leveraging technology pioneered by Devis, both "OnLine Coaches" help military families navigate existing and sometimes complex government Web resources by providing step-by-step instructions for accessing key, audience-specific information. The two OnLine Coaches are especially relevant during National Military Family Month, which is observed every November.
The BRAC Coach helps workers and businesses that have been affected by the Defense Department's recent Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) actions. Devis designed and developed the Coach for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to help affected parties and counselors maximize use of the CareerOneStop Web site, which provides a wealth of valuable information for families and businesses undergoing BRAC transitions. The BRAC Coach sits atop the CareerOneStop Web site in the form of an instructional right-hand side-bar. From assisting business owners who have contracts with a closing military base, to helping displaced workers find new jobs, the tool guides users to the federal, state and local government support services outlined on the CareerOneStop site.
The Military Spouse Career Coach, developed on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense and DOL, uses the same guided advisor approach to help military spouses with their relocation and re-employment decisions. The underlying MilSpouse.org Web site, also developed and managed by Devis, provides military spouses with relevant career-related information and sources for employment as well as links to school and community information. As an example, a military spouse that has been relocated to a new base can use the Coach to find information on priority hiring programs, including the Spouse Preference Program. The Coach ensures that issues of particular importance to military families can be addressed systematically by any Web user.
"Devis's OnLine Coaches represent an exciting shift in how organizations can maximize the utility of their Web sites," said Peter Gallagher, president and co-founder of Devis. "Now, instead of recreating a new Web site for a specific purpose or user base, organizations can quickly enhance an existing site by creating an accompanying OnLine Coach. For government agencies in particular, these innovative tools offer cost- and time-effective alternatives to Web site development and online public education efforts."
Gallagher cites the BRAC Coach as a case in point. Knowing that it would need to respond to the employment and relocation needs of thousands of displaced workers, the Labor Department approached Devis prior to the BRAC Commission's major base closing announcement. With just three weeks lead time, building a brand new Web site geared toward BRAC-affected users was not an option. So as an alternative, Devis recommended a tailored OnLine Coach that would help such users navigate DOL's existing CareerOneStop Web site. Devis was able to design and deploy the resulting BRAC Coach quickly and cost-effectively – and serve thousands of BRAC-affected individuals in the process.
In addition to the BRAC and MilSpouse.org Career Coaches, Devis has created several additional OnLine Coaches for federal government agencies. All are based on Devis EZ Reusable Object (EZRO) technology, an open source, standards-compliant Web application that modifies and restyles reusable content objects. The highly adaptable Coaches enhance and simplify the Web sites with which they are mated, helping organizations realize the full potential of their present-day Web environments.
About Development InfoStructure, Inc. (Devis)
Development InfoStructure, Inc. (Devis) was founded in 1992 to provide innovative, practical approaches to information management. Devis is a leading provider of IT Consulting services and solutions to Federal, State, and Local Governments as well as the international development community. Devis' standards-based, vendor-independent approach and active support of the open source community help maximize the return on clients' IT investments.
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Contact: Heidi Solis
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Email: hsolis@devis.com
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