A Fresh Look at Secure Messaging for the Changing Military World

Nexor, a provider of security capability to meet the information assurance needs of the military and government sectors, publishes two new white papers designed to offer a fresh and independent look at Military Message Handling Systems (MMHS) to both experts and novices alike.

MMHS have become established as the de facto way of exchanging high grade electronic messages both within and between military domains worldwide. However, with the increase in coalition based operations, often NATO led, the drive for participating coalition members to implement interoperable national systems has increased. The existence of a common set of technical standards and the adoption of Standard Operational Procedures, suggests that specifying an MMHS capable of interoperability should be straightforward yet, for years, the information technology industry has consistently contrived to make MMHS a complex issue for the military customer.

In the first of the white papers, MMHS: A Reference Architecture, Nexor simplifies the basic concepts of an MMHS project by introducing MMHS terminology and focusing on the key system components and interfaces in an entirely product and supplier independent way. The paper introduces the relevant common standards and approaches the adoption of which facilitates the establishment of a robust baseline.

The second paper, MMHS: The Requirements, focuses on identifying the typical functionality that an MMHS must provide. It aims to provide end users with the understanding necessary to determine which functionality is mandatory as opposed to desirable, thereby enabling the production of a clear and objective specification. Used in conjunction with the MMHS Reference Architecture, this paper aids understanding of how required functionality is provided by the various architectural and interoperability components. This broadens and deepens the MMHS baseline.

Used together, the two papers provide beneficial and educational tools for the end user community, particularly if MMHS is a new or unfamiliar subject. Systems Integrators will also find them useful to enable objective engagement with both customers and product suppliers.

For further information, please info [at] nexor [dot] com (subject: Nexor%20Press%20Release) (contact Steve Penny )