Pentagon reportedly tells employees that March Madness streaming could overwhelm department’s network

Employers across America take different approaches come NCAA Tournament time. Some go all “cool boss” and encourage their employees to enjoy the basketball. Some strictly prohibit March Madness viewing during work hours. And most just turn a blind eye to the inevitable hoops-watching.

Well according to an email obtained by CBS News, the Pentagon is really cracking down. The Joint Service Provider, which handles IT for the department, reportedly sent an email Wednesday warning employees that the building’s network might not be able to withstand too much March Madness streaming.

It is important to remember that we share a single network and visiting non-mission essential websites degrades network performance for everyone.

 

We’re hoping the threat of network slowdowns is just a scare tactic to get people to close their March Madness Live tab, because you’d look for the Pentagon to have a pretty strong network. U.S. national security probably shouldn’t hinge on whether or not Pentagon employees are watching basketball.

The email also provided a slightly more reasonable plea to stay productive while at work.

Please keep in mind; if you’re streaming video to watch your favorite player shooting free throws, you’re consuming network resources that could be served to support the Warfighter.

Yes, protecting American soldiers is probably more important than watching that first-round upset, though some Pentagon employees would surely argue they have time for both.

Via CBS, here’s the full JSP email:

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

JSP Notice: March Madness Video Streaming and Network Consumption

SUMMARY: March Madness is officially upon us. Your JSP support team acknowledges and appreciates that college basketball fans within the DoD are excited to cheer on their favorite teams, update brackets, and otherwise obsess over the Big Dance. In preparation for the event, JSP engineers will closely monitor bandwidth consumption and server availability to handle additional network strain as best as they can. However, it is important to remember that we share a single network and visiting non-mission essential websites degrades network performance for everyone.

Please keep in mind; if you’re streaming video to watch your favorite player shooting free throws, you’re consuming network resources that could be served to support the Warfighter.

If you experience any questions or concerns, please contact the JSP Service Desk for assistance.

Sincerely,

Joint Service Provider (JSP)

[CBS]