Case Study: End-to-end IT asset logistics and integrated logistics support for Defence collective training
Client: Department of Defence, Joint Collective Training Branch (JCTB)
Project: Defence Training and Experimentation Network (DTEN)
How Profectus delivered integrated logistics support, warehouse operations and asset lifecycle governance for the Joint Collective Training Branch, tightening asset traceability, compliance and readiness across the Defence Training and Experimentation Network.
Client and context
The Joint Collective Training Branch within the Department of Defence sustains the simulation and ICT capability that prepares Australian Defence Force elements for operations. This capability is delivered through the Defence Training and Experimentation Network (DTEN), a complex and distributed environment of simulation servers, network infrastructure, specialised hardware, software platforms, peripheral devices and supporting ICT components spread across multiple facilities and operational contexts.
The IT assets underpinning this environment are stored, allocated and transported to support exercises and deployments. Historically, delays in asset tracking, inconsistent paperwork and lapses in data recording created risks for both operational delivery and compliance with Defence policy. Meeting operational readiness in this setting demands precision, compliance and accountability across every asset movement, not technology alone.
The engagement
Profectus was engaged to strengthen the logistics and information management of IT assets across their full lifecycle, spanning storage, allocation, safe transport, reconciliation and disposal, while delivering integrated logistics support (ILS) across configuration identification, asset lifecycle management, sustainment coordination and readiness assurance. The remit combined hands-on warehouse and asset operations with lifecycle governance, inventory optimisation, compliance assurance and logistics support analysis, all delivered under DISP Level 3 security controls and ISO 27001 aligned information management practices.
The challenge
Bringing discipline to a legacy asset environment while sustaining live training placed several compounding demands on delivery:
- Legacy practices: inconsistent paperwork and poor asset traceability had accumulated across dual paper and electronic registers, creating duplication and error
- Disposal under policy: coordinating the disposal of obsolete assets while ensuring policy compliance and environmental safety
- Surge and readiness: meeting exercise surge requirements without compromising tracking accuracy or the timely availability of serviceable equipment
- Sustainment risk: identifying single points of failure, obsolescence and undocumented dependencies that could propagate across the DTEN environment
Our approach
Profectus centralised asset tracking and dispatch, uplifted the physical warehouse and embedded ILS practice across the asset lifecycle.
Configuration and asset baseline
Profectus consolidated hardware movement logs into the configuration management database, including CDR items, and conducted systematic asset discovery and reconciliation of serialised assets. Tailored data fields and picklists were designed within the CMDB to capture lifecycle state, handling requirements, deployment readiness and logistics constraints, producing a verified and auditable baseline for sustainment planning and readiness reporting.
Warehouse and WHS uplift
The warehouse layout was reorganised to align with WHS standards and streamline pick and pack workflows. All team members undertook forklift licence certification so that operations were not single-point sensitive, and equipment intake, storage, issue, return and reconciliation were managed with condition and documentation checks at each lifecycle transition.
Compliance and documentation control
A crosscheck system was implemented for XC51 documentation compliance, and ITSM practice was integrated so that tickets were raised and updated for every asset movement. Physical holdings were systematically reconciled against system records, with variances documented, root causes investigated and corrective actions coordinated with Defence representatives to preserve audit defensibility.
Continual improvement
Regular reviews were established to update procedures and identify process improvement opportunities, while sustainment impact analysis assessed interdependencies across hardware, operating systems, simulation software and network interfaces to surface single points of failure, obsolescence risks and unsupported configurations.
What we delivered
- Full asset visibility: achieved complete visibility of all exercise support IT assets through the CMDB, with logistics attributes embedded to strengthen lifecycle traceability
- Faster dispatch: reduced asset dispatch time by 40 per cent through streamlined warehouse operations and improved pick and pack workflows
- Assured compliance: reached 100 per cent compliance in XC51 documentation audits over three consecutive quarters, with records kept accurate, traceable and audit ready
- Disciplined disposal: disposed of more than 2,000 obsolete items in accordance with Defence protocols, enabling rapid write-off of end of life assets and recovering warehouse space
- Safe operations: recorded zero WHS incidents in the warehouse since implementation of the new layout
Systems and methods
CMDB · ServiceNow and Jira asset records · XC51 documentation control · WHS-aligned warehouse layout · ITSM ticketing · DISP Level 3 · ISO 27001 aligned
The result
By tightening control over IT asset management and embedding Defence policy at every stage, Profectus ensured exercise readiness, reduced risk and maintained compliance across the DTEN environment. Asset dispatch was 40 per cent faster, XC51 documentation reached full compliance across three consecutive quarters, more than 2,000 obsolete items were disposed to Defence protocols and no WHS incidents were recorded following the new layout. Ongoing reviews, reconciliation and sustainment risk analysis have laid a defensible foundation for long term operational support.