Review of VA's Alleged Incomplete Installation of Encryption Software Licenses

OIG substantiated the allegation the Office of Information Technology (OIT) had not installed and activated all of the 300,000 encryption software licenses purchased in 2006 at a cost of about $3.7 million. We also found OIT purchased an additional 100,000 licenses in 2011. As of July 2012, OIT had installed and activated only about 65,000 (16 percent) of the total 400,000 licenses procured. This was due to OIT’s poor planning and inadequate management in not allowing time to test the software; ensuring sufficient staff were allocated to the project; adequately monitoring the project; and assuring the remaining licenses were compatible in the current computer environment. As a result, 84 percent of the total 400,000 licenses procured, totaling about $5.1 million in questioned costs, remain unused as of the end of fiscal year 2012.