Changes/updates since last Blue Top

When traveling with your agency assigned laptop, use extra caution to prevent theft. Laptops, when in sight, are very attractive targets. If you have to step away from your belongings in any public access locations such as an airport, make sure that you take your laptop and bag with you. The only exception is if you are traveling with someone you know and trust, and it is a good practice to remind them not to leave your laptop unattended as well. While going through a security or customs screening, also try to keep visual contact with your laptop if you are required to set it down. 

The annual USAccess Disaster Recovery (DR) Exercise will run THIS WEEKEND from Friday, July 28 to Monday, July 31. The exercise includes a fail-over of all critical system functions from the primary data center to the secondary back-up data center facility. As a result, all role holder portals and workflow functionality will be unavailable during this exercise.

The MSO has sent a lot of communication recently regarding the deployment of Credentialing Units to replace existing Fixed and LCS workstations. This is a large undertaking, and the MSO wants to ensure that all agencies understand the process and timeline. The Draft CU Deployment Process Guide was sent out to Agency Leads on July 13. This should answer many customer agency questions about the process.

New installers for Light Credentialing Solution (LCS) (mandatory) and Light Activation (LA) (suggested) workstations will be made available in August. The new installers include Java 8 Update 131, as well as an update to the Connect to Assured Identity tool. A release notice will be posted on the Agency Lead Portal by the end of this week with details on what is included with the installers.

Planned system events

• Entrust maintenance planned for August 5.
• Routine maintenance planned for August 5.

Issuing organizations are required to maintain a Chain-of-Trust from the time credentials are physically received, when they are transferred to the credential holder, and throughout the lifecycle until credential destruction.

Timely use of the Credential Inventory Tool (CIT) by Operators and Activators is required to ensure that the Chain-of-Trust is properly maintained throughout its lifecycle and that USAccess and your agency know the status and location of a credential. 

Friendly reminder that you can find USAccess role holder training courses and valuable resources on the GoLearn Knowledge Portal.

Changes/updates since last Blue Top

• USAccess Software Release 10.4 went in to production as scheduled on June 10. This release implemented the new VA Certificate Authority (VACA) that is part of the onboarding efforts of the Department of Veterans Affairs to the USAccess Program, and it only impacts VA.

In preparation for the process of replacing Fixed and LCS equipment with new Credential Units (CUs), it is critical that Site Manager contain the most up-to-date site information. Specifically, the Site POC, Ship To POC, and Site Ship To Address need to be accurate so communications are sent to the correct individuals and CUs get shipped to the correct locations.