FORUM

General Information

Technologies must be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. More information on the proper use of the TRM can be found on the TRM Proper Use Tab/Section.

Website:	Go to site
Description:	FORUM is an ophthalmology data management solution that streamlines workflows for eye examination and diagnosis. Users are provided with dedicated pre-sets for two major pathologies, which are retina and glaucoma. This technology provides real-time access to diagnostic data from local and remote sites. This technology has two editions: FORUM Office and FORUM Enterprise. The office edition is used in small and medium practices. The enterprise edition is used in hospitals and clinical groups. This entry covers both editions. FORUM utilizes the user’s local server for data storage. This technology does not utilize a database.
Technology/Standard Usage Requirements:	Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.
Section 508 Information:	This technology has not been assessed by the Section 508 Office. The Implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508-compliant. Section 508 compliance may be reviewed by the Section 508 Office and appropriate remedial action required if necessary. For additional information or assistance regarding Section 508, please contact the Section 508 Office at Section508@va.gov.
Decision:	View Decisions

Decision Source:	TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process:	One-VA TRM v24.7
Decision Date:	07/12/2024 at 01:47:07 UTC
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	Zeiss

Vendor Release Information

The Vendor Release table provides the known releases for the TRM Technology, obtained from the vendor (or from the release source).

Version	Release Date	Vendor End of Life Date	Vendor Desupport Date
3.2	02/01/2014
4.0	02/05/2015
4.1.x	06/01/2016
4.2.x	01/10/2018
4.4.x

Current Decision Matrix (07/09/2024)

Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.

The VA Decision Matrix displays the current and future VA IT position regarding different releases of a TRM entry. These decisions are based upon the best information available as of the most current date. The consumer of this information has the responsibility to consult the organizations responsible for the desktop, testing, and/or production environments to ensure that the target version of the technology will be supported. Any major.minor version that is not listed in the VA Decision Matrix is considered unapproved for use.

Legend:

White	Approved: The technology/standard has been approved for use.
Yellow	Approved w/Constraints: The technology/standard can be used within the specified constraints located below the decision matrix in the footnote[1] and on the General tab.
Gray	Unapproved: This technology or standard can be used only if a POA&M review is conducted and signed by the Authorizing Official Designated Representative (AODR) as designated by the Authorizing Official (AO) or designee and based upon a recommendation from the POA&M Compliance Enforcement, has been granted to the project team or organization that wishes to use the technology.
Orange	Divest: VA has decided to divest itself on the use of the technology/standard. As a result, all projects currently utilizing the technology/standard must plan to eliminate their use of the technology/standard. Additional information on when the entry is projected to become unapproved may be found on the Decision tab for the specific entry.
Black	Prohibited: The technology/standard is not (currently) permitted to be used under any circumstances.
Blue	Planning/Evaluation Constraint:The period of time this technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population. If a customer would like to use this technology, please work with your local or Regional OI&T office and contact the appropriate evaluation office displayed in the notes below the decision matrix. The Local or Regional OI&T office should submit an inquiry to the TRM if they require further assistance or if the evaluating office is not listed in the notes below.

Release/Version Information:

VA decisions for specific versions may include a ‘.x’ wildcard, which denotes a decision that pertains to a range of multiple versions.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 7.x would cover any version of 7.(Anything) - 7.(Anything). However, a 7.4.x decision would cover any version of 7.4.(Anything), but would not cover any version of 7.5.x or 7.6.x on the TRM.

VA decisions for specific versions may include ‘+’ symbols; which denotes that the decision for the version specified also includes versions greater than what is specified but is not to exceed or affect previous decimal places.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 12.6.4+ would cover any version that is greater than 12.6.4, but would not exceed the .6 decimal ie: 12.6.401 is ok, 12.6.5 is ok, 12.6.9 is ok, however 12.7.0 or 13.0 is not.

<Past

CY2025

CY2026

CY2027

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

3.2

Unapproved

4.0

Unapproved

4.1.x

Unapproved

4.2.x

Approved w/Constraints
[4, 11, 12, 13]

4.4.x

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	This Technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population.

[2]	The MySQL component must comply with the MySQL Database technology constraints.

[3]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[4]	Technology must remain patched and operated in accordance with Federal and Department security policies and guidelines in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities.

[5]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[6]	Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: Ensure that the underlying infrastructure (Operating System (OS), Web Server, etc.) or a third party FIPS 140-2 cryptographic module can protect the security of the application when it processes or stores VA sensitive information. System administrators must ensure that the implementation of this solution conforms with the NIST SP 800-53 Revision 4 security control, IA-5 (1) (c) CCI- 000198, CCI-000199: “The information system enforces minimum password lifetime restrictions and the information system enforces maximum password lifetime”

[7]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[8]	Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: Ensure that the underlying infrastructure (Operating System (OS), Web Server, etc.) or a third party FIPS 140-2 cryptographic module can protect the security of the application when it processes or stores VA sensitive information.

[9]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISSO (Information System Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[10]	Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: Ensure that the underlying infrastructure can use a third party FIPS 140-2 certified cryptographic module can protect the security of the application when it processes or stores VA sensitive information.

[11]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISSO (Information System Security Officer) to ensure compliance with both VA Handbook 6500 and VA Directive 6500.

[12]	Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: Ensure that the underlying infrastructure can use a third party FIPS 140-2 certified cryptographic module can protect the security of the application when it processes or stores VA sensitive information.

[13]	The Federal Information Processing standards (FIPS) 140-2 certification status of this technology was not able to be verified. This technology will require a 3rd party FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 certified solution for any data containing PHI/PII or VA sensitive information, where applicable. More information regarding the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) can be found on the NIST website.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 4.4.0.3587 is the most current version.

A standard configuration of this technology was developed by the DDE team. At the time of writing, the standard version is 4.2.5.6.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Source	Description

Technology Components

Note: This list may not be complete. No component, listed or unlisted, may be used outside of the technology in which it is released. The usage decision for a component is found in the Decision and Decision Constraints.
Name	Description
FORUM Archive	This component is a central storage solution for ophthalmic examination data.
FORUM ASSIST Match	This component provides identification of patient record inconsistencies and allows the efficient merging and migration of patient data into the FORUM environment.
FORUM Glaucoma Workplace	This component enables users to interactively review visual field data, and FORUM combines information from Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA), CIRRUS, and fundus images.
FORUM LINK Utilities	This component allows for instruments from other manufacturers, which do not have a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) interface, to be seamlessly integrated into the FORUM data management workflow.
FORUM Viewer	This component is a software solution for eye care data management.
Oracle Glassfish v4.1	This component is integrated into the software and provides a development server for Java applications.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Health Care Administrative	Health Delivery Support
Health Care Health Services	Specialty Services

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

macOS - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Client - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) Scan

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This is a well-documented technology.
At the time of writing, no National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) vulnerabilities had been reported and no VA Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) bulletins had been issued for the latest versions of this technology.
This technology may provide clinical efficiencies by supporting the flow of data between clinicians and patients.

Adoption Risks

FORUM documentation indicates that FORUM does not support password history/aging of 60 days.
The potential exists to store Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or VA Sensitive data and proper security standards must be followed in these cases.
Due to the rapid release schedule of this technology, the VA may be unable to update to the most recent patch and may require a deployment model requiring the use of specific versions.
IPR/SAR Adoption Risk - The product is not Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 certified for data at rest.
There are other approved solutions that provide similar functionality available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.
The technology requires the purchase of licenses from vendor, which could potentially lead to vendor lock-in.

Architectural Benefits

This technology supports Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) and Health Level 7 (HL7) options to reduce transcription errors.
This technology is portable as it runs on multiple TRM-approved operating systems.

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (07/09/2024)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (07/09/2024)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

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