Topics in Interoperability: Infrastructure Replacement in a System of Systems

This technical note examines the Common Operations System (COS), a large aggregation of independently developed systems, and the risks posed to it by an infrastructure upgrade. Many large organizations involved in various critical government roles depend on the COS for planning their business operations. When such a large number of applications rely on a complex infrastructure, an attempt to upgrade raises many interoperability issues. The risks involved, and their observed mitigations, are examined in several areas: system interfaces, organizational responsibilities, requirements and functionality, developing an integration process, and testing.