全球智库信息集成服务系统

• Current laws do not prohibit intelligence agencies from conducting unclassified work outside SCIFs. However, existing policies and technologies at intelligence agencies may be either hurdles or enablers to remote-work or telework programs.
• Clear policy guidance and security procedures could facilitate effective remote work at intelligence agencies — specifically, clear policies related to telework, use of personal devices, handling of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), core work hours, and time and attendance management.
• Three regulations most relevant to intelligence agencies implementing remote-work programs are the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002, the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, and Executive Order 13556. The authors did not find specific laws governing the use of personally owned electronic devices, which leaves each agency to develop its own policy within these legal frameworks.
• Moving employees and work functions outside of classified facilities may incur financial costs to agencies, and these changes might not always reap financial savings. Therefore, the decision to move employees outside of SCIFs might be based on mission, continuity of operations, and other operational factors, rather than cost savings.
• Investment costs associated with these changes may include technologies that enable employees to work off-site, such as remote log-on, online collaboration tools, and the ability to transfer files across computer systems. Cost savings may include fewer security clearances needed, higher employee retention rates, and decreased use of utilities.
• There are cultural challenges to moving unclassified work outside of SCIFs, including overcoming perceptions that some employees and managers have of remote work, measuring the performance of remote workers, and training employees and managers on the program. These challenges can be alleviated by setting expectations of what remote work should be and what it can do for employees and the agency's mission.

This report provides analysis and recommendations for intelligence agencies regarding how to conduct work outside secure government facilities by identifying policy, legal, technology, security, financial, and cultural considerations. This report provides steps that intelligence agencies can take to address these considerations and overcome potential challenges. The advantages of remote-work programs include greater access to outside expertise, continuity of operations, and increased work-life offerings for recruitment and retention. The authors reviewed studies on telework and telecommuting, examined seven federal agencies that conduct work outside government facilities, and conducted interviews inside the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Intelligence agencies could benefit from conducting some unclassified functions outside Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs), with each agency differing in terms of which functions would be most appropriate to move to unclassified facilities. The report provides lessons learned and recommendations for leaders of intelligence agencies to consider.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Policy Considerations

• Chapter Three

  Legal Considerations

• Chapter Four

  Technology Considerations

• Chapter Five

  Security Considerations

• Chapter Six

  Financial Considerations

• Chapter Seven

  Cultural Considerations

• Chapter Eight

  Conclusions