Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2005/05/25/fbi_replaces_it_system/

FBI outlines new IT system

Learns $100m lesson from first failure

By John Oates

Posted in Legal, 25th May 2005 15:36 GMT

The FBI has learnt a costly lesson from its disastrous attempt to upgrade its IT systems in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

The "Virtual Case File" system cost $170m and was abandoned in January 2005. It aimed to give access to all FBI files from any office. The federal commission which investigated the attacks was highly critical of FBI information systems after it emerged they had information which could have pointed to an attack.

The new system is called Sentinel and FBI director Robert Mueller told a Senate committee he was disappointed at the money and time wasted on the previous project.

He told the committee the agency had learnt lessons in project management and technology from the previous abandoned project.

The first phase of the Sentinel project should be live by the end of this year and the next three stages should arrive over the next three years, according to Bloomberg.®

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