Executive Summary

• A Message from the HSIN ESC
• Executive Summary
• Methodology for Assessing Growth and Achievements
• Strategic Goals and Accomplishments
• Recommendations and the Year Ahead

By providing secure information sharing capabilities to stakeholders, HSIN plays an integral role in strengthening homeland security operations across federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, international and private sector partners. Remedying information sharing shortfalls was a principal recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. Since 2006, when HSIN was designated as the primary system for operational information sharing and collaboration among DHS security partners, HSIN has connected partners and streamlined interagency collaboration. At every level of government and in close collaboration with private sector, international and nonprofit partners, HSIN provides a secure platform to share security information and work toward common goals that advance the homeland security mission.

HSIN supports the full scope of DHS’ mission to:

• Prevent Terrorism
• Secure and Manage Borders
• Combat Transnational Crime and Support Counternarcotic Efforts
• Enforce and Administer Immigration Laws
• Safeguard and Secure Cyberspace
• Ensure Resilience to Disasters
• Support Daily Operations

This year’s report provides a detailed analysis of the integral role HSIN plays in support of the homeland security mission. In fiscal year (FY) 2017, new HSIN registered users increased by 36 percent and expanded its presence across DHS and among state, local, tribal, territorial, private sector and international users. At the end of FY 2017, 7,801 federated users had access to HSIN. In step with this growth, HSIN grew its capabilities through operational enhancements to support its users and the DHS mission.

HSIN’s FY 2017 accomplishments include:

• Enhancing geospatial tools and features focused on giving users the ability to rapidly collaborate and share mission critical information to protect our borders and combat transnational crime
• Partnering with the Blue Campaign in support of the Blue Lightning Initiative to help coordinate and enhance the Department’s anti-human-trafficking efforts
• Successfully launching the interim operating capability for the Leveraging Military Training program, integrating efforts and formalizing collaboration between DHS and DoD, allowing personnel from both agencies to access HSIN from anywhere across the country
• Completing the full migration of users and data for the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), increasing DHS’s cyber participation on HSIN
• Becoming the first DHS Headquarters program to leap past a conventional hybrid cloud model, moving all capabilities, data and infrastructure to the secure cloud, resulting in faster implementation of enhancements to support mission and operational needs while reducing technology costs
• Continuing the tremendous momentum of HSIN Exchange, with all 79 fusion centers nationwide, including the Terrorist Screening Center, using HSIN Exchange as its secure request for information (RFI) solution
• Initiating work to scale the HSIN Exchange pilot project into a full, enterprise-wide RFI solution

Throughout the year, HSIN also supported the safety and security of events and exercises nationwide by providing the tools and capabilities needed for interagency collaboration and real-time information sharing, in addition to on-site support. Resources and tools such as HSIN Connect, HSIN Exchange and Geospatial Information Infrastructure (GII) mapping capabilities have benefited partners in both emergency situations and daily operations by streamlining processes, reducing complexity and allowing users to make rapid decisions when every second counts. HSIN Mission Advocates also provided the expertise and support needed to apply HSIN capabilities to meet operational objectives at all levels of government and across international partners and the private sector.

Whether responding to an incident, preparing for a planned event or performing daily operations, HSIN supports the interagency collaboration needed for mission success. HSIN’s unique and unprecedented achievements in allowing seamless collaboration among all partners reached new heights in 2017—and sets the stage for even greater contributions to partners’ success in the coming year.

• Nearly 2,000 users log in to HSIN each day
  to support operational requirements, accessing real-time information and communities for information sharing
• Nearly 2,000 communities are on HSIN
  to exchange mission-critical information in groups dedicated to geographic areas and issues of interest
• Nearly 15,000 HSIN Connect rooms were opened
  to facilitate real-time, virtual collaboration across organizations and jurisdictions
• 36%
  increase in users
  24,952 new registered users joined HSIN in FY 2017 to access mission-critical resources, resulting in a user base of over 94,000 registered users
• 57%
  increase in major events supported
  Mission Advocates supported 69 major events in FY 2017
• 52%
  decrease in response time for Help Desk calls

These values will be revisited in the FY 2018 report to demonstrate lifetime achievements of the HSIN Program.