The Veteran Affairs Department, once a BlackBerry-only agency, is still on track to authorize new mobile devices to connect to the network beginning Oct. 1, but currently has no procurement strategy to acquire them.

"I'm now in the mode of, ‘Yes, we have authorized the turn on. But no, you can't buy 100,000 of them,'" said VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker during a Sept. 28 press call.

While VA has a pent-up demand for the devices such as the iPad, Baker said "there will not be an explosion of new devices." Employees will only receive the devices if they can make a business case and will be required to trade in their laptops or BlackBerries. 

"We have not put in place any particular acquisition strategy for them. One of the decisions I've got to make is whether they're bought with the IT appropriation of the business appropriation--it's an interesting case," said Baker.

The agency is weighing whether the mobile acquisitions will be aligned with where individual users reside within VA or aligned with the particular technology, in which case purchasing and management would be handled by Baker's office, he said.

"It's a decision that we're going to have to make fairly soon relative to what appropriation pays for the devices," said Baker. When asked if the decision would be made by Oct. 1 and if it would affect the new device rollout, Baker said, "I'm wrestling with that."

But while VA is uncertain which budget line is most appropriate for purchasing new mobile devices, it has decided to stand up an enterprise contract vehicle for them, Baker said.

VA has set parameters for iPhones and iPads so that adding new devices to the network won't expose the agency to security risks. "The major thing we're doing is deciding that we are going to utilize an MDM, a mobile device manager, that will enforce the policies throughout the VA," said Baker.

The devices will be customized with a viewer to virtualize information rather than save data directly to devices, said Baker. The devices will use a single, encrypted email client, as well. VA is still deciding whether or not it will allow 3G as an access method, said Baker.

For more:
- listen to the press call

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