Communicating with family that may be placed very far away in war torn countries is not very easy, and if those family members have to operate under operational strictures regarding the information they pass along it is even more so. Simply alerting an enemy that a major strike will be happening the next day place soldiers at risk, which is why communication between soldiers and their loved ones have to be as secure as possible.
This is why Good Technology and Northrop Grumman have collaborated to provide secure e-mail to 2 million service users and their families via the Army Knowledge Online enterprise web portal. AKO offers secure email, file storage and management, instant messaging, and other collaboration tools to soldiers, family members, retirees, and other members of the Army community.
The mobile messaging component is also available on a variety of Windows Mobile devices such as the Sprint Touch Pro, Verizon XV-6850, AT&T Fuze and others.
Windows Mobile 6.1, which has just achieved Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL-4), is ideal for the project, as it assures government customers that mobile users can securely access sensitive data on information networks and meets the Defense Department’s requirements for secure mobile messaging.
Windows Mobile 6.1 is also accepted under the Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement, composed of members from 25 countries worldwide, including the United States, allowing agencies such as the Homeland Security and Commerce departments, as well as the Army, Air Force and Marines to use the devices with confidence.
Besides simple communication users, Windows Mobile devices are also used include ballistic calculators, detecting roadside explosive devices and handhelds for the 2010 census, according to Randy Siegel, telecommunications and mobile strategist at Microsoft.