FAQ

1. What is the ORE? 

The ORE is a strategic, government-owned platform designed to provide centralized governance, oversight, and secure data management through an orchestrated repository ecosystem. It enables archival, retrieval, and secure sharing of critical data, supporting the organization’s modernization and compliance goals.  

 

Acting as a unified portal, the ORE also functions as an application dashboard, offering a customizable interface where users can access and monitor key applications from a single, centralized location. By integrating with various applications, the ORE can pull data and insights directly from these systems, giving users a comprehensive view of critical information and enhancing decision-making across the enterprise. 

 

2. What is the difference between SharePoint and the ORE? 

SharePoint is primarily designed for team collaboration and working products. It serves as a platform for teams to collaborate, share documents, and work together on ongoing tasks and projects. Its focus is on supporting internal team workflows and ensuring seamless access to shared resources. However, SharePoint does not include a source code repository feature, limiting its ability to track progress or updates specific to product or technological solutions development.

ORE, on the other hand, is tailored for finalized products and broader visibility. It is intended for content that needs to be understood by stakeholders outside the immediate team—those at different levels or in adjacent roles who might need to take action based on the information. ORE is ideal for providing operational oversight, enabling these external stakeholders to support the team’s success. Additionally, ORE includes a source code repository, making it an essential tool for tracking progress and updates related to product development or technological solutions.

 

In short, SharePoint is for team collaboration, while ORE is for oversight and external engagement with additional capabilities for managing technical progress.

 

3. Why should I use the ORE over another repository? 

The ORE offers unique advantages that make it the preferred choice for secure and centralized data management, particularly in government settings:

 

Enhanced Security: The ORE is specifically designed to prevent data loss or leakage. It ensures critical assets—such as source codes, artifacts, and data collections—are safeguarded against unauthorized access or sharing. Features include restrictions on email sharing, downloads, printing, and even screenshots. Additionally, the platform tracks user activity, enabling accountability and the ability to investigate potential issues.

 

Centralized Archiving: Unlike other repositories, the ORE gives the government complete control by archiving all work within its own secure environment. This eliminates the risk of losing critical data when external teams (e.g., contractors) or internal government teams complete their work.

 

Cross-Platform Connectivity: The ORE integrates seamlessly with orchestrated applications and other repositories. This ensures that all data, regardless of where it is being worked on, is retained securely within the government’s domain.

 

By choosing the ORE, you are investing in a secure, transparent, and government-controlled platform that not only protects critical assets but also supports effective collaboration while maintaining compliance and oversight.

 

4. Is the ORE a DevSecOps Platform?

No, the ORE is not a DevSecOps platform. Instead, it complements DevSecOps by providing a high-level overview and visibility across all source codes and artifacts being worked on.

 

While DevSecOps platforms focus on integrating development, security, and operations workflows, ORE serves a broader purpose by offering leadership and stakeholders the ability to:

 

• Monitor Progress: Gain clear insights into the development lifecycle, including milestones, deliverables, and overall progress of projects.
• Track Ownership: Identify who is working on specific artifacts or source codes, ensuring accountability and transparency.
• Connect Platforms: Integrate with various DevSecOps tools and repositories to consolidate data, offering a unified view without disrupting existing workflows.

ORE is not about managing DevSecOps processes but about enabling oversight. It empowers leadership to make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, and ensure that all efforts are aligned with organizational objectives. By bridging the gap between technical teams and stakeholders, ORE ensures that workstreams stay on track and aligned with strategic goals.

 

In summary, ORE amplifies the value of DevSecOps by providing a strategic, high-level view while ensuring teams can focus on execution.

 

5. What are some use cases for the ORE? 

Transfer of Knowledge for Contract Transitions:
The ORE streamlines contractor transitions by securely archiving all project data, ensuring continuity and preventing redundancy. This allows new contractors to seamlessly build on prior work, saving time and reducing costs.

 

Contract/Product Oversight

The ORE provides the government with complete visibility into contractor-developed data, enabling streamlined oversight and accountability. By centralizing information on a single platform, it eliminates the need for document requests, saving time, ensuring milestones are met, and reducing costs.

 

Decommissioning of Platform, Product, etc. 

The ORE offers a reliable solution for archiving data from decommissioned platforms, products, or contracts, ensuring all critical information is securely stored and readily accessible. By preserving this data in a centralized, secure environment, the government can efficiently provide authorized access when needed, preventing redundancy and enabling continuity for future initiatives.

 

Monitoring Metrics for Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)

The ORE incorporates Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles to enhance the management and oversight of critical government data and systems. Through advanced monitoring and automation, the ORE delivers actionable insights to data owners, enabling them to maintain reliability and optimize performance.

Key SRE capabilities offered by the ORE include:

• Proactive Monitoring: The ORE continuously tracks system performance and usage metrics, identifying potential issues before they impact operations. This ensures that government systems and data remain accessible and operational.

• Automated Analysis: By leveraging automation, the ORE streamlines the analysis of large datasets, pinpointing trends, anomalies, and areas for improvement. This reduces manual workloads and accelerates decision-making.

• Insightful Reporting: The ORE provides detailed insights to data owners, empowering them with the knowledge needed to optimize their systems, address vulnerabilities, and maintain data integrity

• By integrating SRE capabilities, the ORE ensures that government stakeholders can effectively oversee their systems and data, fostering resilience, efficiency, and long-term reliability.

6. Who would use the ORE?  

 

The ORE is designed to support all stakeholders involved in the development of technological solutions.

• Government Stakeholders: As the ultimate owners of the data, government users benefit from full oversight of product, project, or contract development. The ORE provides visibility into progress, milestones, and the overall state of work, ensuring accountability and transparency.

• Contractors and Development Teams: Contractors and teams responsible for executing the work will utilize the ORE to upload, archive, and manage their deliverables. This ensures that the government maintains ownership and autonomy over all artifacts, source codes, and outputs.

Leveraging its API capabilities, the ORE seamlessly connects with external repositories and environments (e.g., GitLab, Nexus), automatically drawing in and replicating data. This ensures that all critical information is securely archived and centralized within the ORE.

By serving as a central platform for government oversight, contractor collaboration, and data preservation, the ORE ensures continuity, transparency, and secure management of technological solutions.