The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2011

A F S A N E W S 2011 AFSA CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT AWARD WINNERS “N o sooner had I arrived in Surabaya than the securi- ty assessment was handed to me on a silver plat- ter,” recalls Maurizio Visani, a mid-level Foreign Service employee and this year’s winner of the F. Allen “Tex” Harris Award for constructive dissent by an FS specialist. Consular Agency Bali had just completed an information technology assessment that revealed critical security flaws. Specifically, it was using the Internet to pass U.S. citizen Personally Identifiable Information, in violation of U.S. regulations and the Privacy Act of 1974. On his first full day at post as Information Program Officer, Visani came up with a solution to the securi- ty deficiency — bring OpenNet, State’s intranet, to CA Bali. The immediate response from post, the department’s Bureau of Information Resource Management, and the Bureau of Consular Affairs executive office was “no.” The unanimous thumbs-down was due, in part, to CA’s worldwide policy granting consular agencies OpenNet access only via FOB/ONE — the department’s program allow- ing an employee to log in to the intranet remotely using an electronic key fob — and to the fact that no other consular agency had OpenNet. However, Maurizio continued to believe that installing the program in Bali was the only appropriate solu- tion to prevent personal information being passed over the Internet unencrypted. A subsequent post inspection report by the Office of the Inspector General also recommended this solution. Visani set about to meet IRM and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security requirements for the office space before intranet installation could be possible. Once those were met, post informed CA/EX; but again, the answer was “no.” Visani persevered. “We were a little disheartened, but Regional Security Officer Rodney Collins checked out the DS regulations and I checked out the IRM regulations. We could see no reason not to install OpenNet, and were determined to see this thing through,” he recalls. Systematically, Maurizio gathered key support from Embassy Jakarta, the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Bureau executive office and CA. He laid out his argument clearly, outlining the benefits of OpenNet to the U.S. govern- ment and American citizens resident in Bali. Referencing federal guidance and report summaries, CA/EX eventually responded favorably to the OpenNet request cable drafted by Visani. “Once we got the go-ahead from CA/EX, the next hurdle was the funding battle. In addition to the IT hardware, the office had to be changed to meet the security requirements, which meant installing locks and bars. In the end, the embassy bore the costs,” Visani recounts. The nomination for the award states: “In the beginning, although the plan made sense, many were not in favor of challenging CA/EX’s worldwide policy. But instead of accepting that bureau’s initial answer, Maurizio worked through the appropriate channels and aggressively crafted a convincing case that would eventually lead to a change in policy, making CA Bali the first consular agency in the State Department with OpenNet.” “By establishing OpenNet, our efforts will lead to better services for American citizens. Everyone wins,” Visani declares. Maurizio Visani (right)mentors others through themission’s edu- cation outreach program. J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 1 1 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 41 The F. Allen “Tex”Harris Award FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE SPECIALIST Maurizio Visani “Although the plan made sense, many were not in favor of challenging CA/EX’s worldwide policy. Maurizio worked through the appropriate channels and aggressively crafted a convincing case that would eventually lead to a change in policy, making CA Bali the first consular agency in the State Department with OpenNet.”