Tech partners unveil cross-domain data-sharing tool

Tresys Technology LLC., Wind River Systems Inc. and Real-Time Innovations have teamed up to demonstrate a new tool for letting users share data in cross-domain environments. The three provide applications software, middleware and a real-time operating system that make it easy to set parameters for sharing and protecting data when coalitions have different security levels.

Tresys unveiled its Content Aware Decision and Routing Engine (CADRE) May 2 at the Department of Defense Intelligence Information Systems conference in Detroit. The company has teamed up with RTI, which provides its Data Distribution Service messaging middleware, and Wind River. Wind River’s Multiple Independent Levels of Security (MILS) separation kernel offers virtualization and security in a real time environment.

The CADRE software is designed to make it easy for military and government teams to share data with new partners without sharing all data sent over a network. Users can set the parameters for data that they don’t want to share using off- the-shelf products. When partners change or new entities such as aircraft are added, parameters can be altered quickly.

“When new coalitions are formed or new platforms are added, CADRE lets teams quickly set up new data flows,” said Scott Winn, vice president at Tresys.

The three partners highlighted the tool’s flexibility and ability to work on limited hardware with a demonstration on an Android tablet. Winn noted that most cross domain solutions available today use proprietary closed technologies.

Using Wind River’s MILS separation kernel lets managers exchange data using virtualization, reducing the need for multiple computer boards or systems. RTI’s DDS middleware normalizes data between systems while providing quality of service checks.