Building the Future of Space Defense: Requirements for Modern Collaboration Solutions
As space becomes an increasingly contested domain, military and defense organizations require robust communication solutions that ensure secure, reliable, and instantaneous data transmission across their operations.
For space defense initiatives to maintain their fundamental decision advantage, their communication infrastructure must satisfy four critical requirements: enable unified data integration, support real-time collaboration, implement high-grade security protocols, and seamlessly integrate with digital command hubs. These requirements form the foundation for effective space defense operations in an era where information superiority directly translates to strategic advantage.
4 Requirements of Communication Tools for Space Defense Initiatives
To ensure secure, lightning-fast communications—and maintain fundamental decision advantage—the space defense organization’s communication tools must enable unified data integration, allow for real-time collaboration, protect communications with high-grade security, and be compatible with a digital command hub. Below, you can find a breakdown of the main requirements that space defense organizations should follow as they evaluate modern workflow collaboration solutions:
1. Enables Unified Data Integration
The space defense collaboration often deals with a great deal of data in its day-to-day operations. When this data isn’t consolidated into a single platform, data silos are far more likely to happen. These data silos can prevent decision-makers and analysts from having all the data they need to make fully-informed recommendations or decisions. Besides increasing the risk of mistakes, data silos also can slow down the decision-making process for mission-critical work, as team members will have to spend more time tracking down data.
Due to the risks of data silos, space defense organizations should choose communication tools that pair with a centralized digital command hub. This hub should consolidate inputs from sensors, ground stations, and satellites into one platform. By unifying diverse data sources in one platform and ensuring all communication tools can be integrated into that platform, staff can quickly access all the data they need to complete a comprehensive analysis and make fully informed decisions.
2. Allows for Real-Time Collaboration
Communication tools used for space defense initiatives and missions must allow for real-time collaboration and enable collective defense practices. During high-stakes or time-sensitive operations, members of the Space Force can’t be slowed down by messaging or data-sharing tools that have delays between when a message or piece of data is sent and when it’s received. Seconds could potentially cost lives or even endanger national security, meaning communication tools cannot delay maximum operational efficiency.
As a result, low-latency, high-volume communication tools are essential to mission success. These tools ensure there’s a minimal delay between messages, even when there’s a high volume of them. Without any significant delay between messages, teams can collaborate in real-time, even if they’re located hundreds or thousands of miles away from one another.
3. Secure Zero Trust Protections
As with all branches of the Department of Defense, Space Force is committed to enacting a Zero Trust security framework. If a communication tool can be easily hacked, bad actors could steal sensitive information and disrupt operations or compromise national security.
To prevent data theft, communication tools should be backed by a robust suite of zero-trust-compliant security solutions. A zero trust compliant solution will utilize a security framework that requires continuous authentication, authorization, and validation by users before they can access data and applications.
Zero-trust solutions should include identity and access controls (e.g., multi-factor authentication), data encryption in transit and at rest, and database ownership, among other security features.
4. Compatible With the Digital Command Hub
Any communication tools used by space defense agencies and teams have to be compatible with the Space Force’s digital command hub. If tools aren’t compatible, team members will have to communicate outside the hub, which could result in data silos, missed messages, and reduced security.
An excellent digital command hub will ensure multiple communication tools can be integrated into it. For example, Mattermost’s centralized communication platform allows users to easily integrate popular communication tools, such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. If the NDSA is already using a particular communication tool, this easy integration enables efficiency by allowing users to continue to rely on communications tools they’re already familiar with in a more secure, centralized environment.
Learn More About How Mattermost enables the future of space defense
Mattermost supports the U.S. Space Force’s Kobayashi Maru, and we continue to expand our industry-leading security and collaboration capabilities to other DoD organizations. If you’d like to learn more about how Mattermost is building a unified, mission-ready future for the Space Force and other governmental agencies, download our guide today.
