Mutualink has announced the deployment of the Global Secure Emergency Collaboration Network (GSEC Net) for multinational events and emergencies. GSEC Net is a new, always on, secure global interoperable communications platform that enables nations and their agencies to seamlessly communicate and collaborate with other nations as and when needed in response to events wherever they occur.

GSEC Net is being utilized by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) during a month-long global exercise based at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland in coordination with the Rio de Janeiro Integrated Command and Control Center in Brazil, and a host of other participating nations, including Columbia, South Africa, Canada and Belgium.

Through Brazil, GSEC Net will facilitate interagency and multinational communications for major international events including a Papal visit next month, the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympiad, providing a virtual multinational global emergency operations center capability.

Mutualink's GSEC Net is an innovative platform that enables national partners and their agencies to seamlessly bridge communications and share real-time multimedia information on a global scale. GSEC Net is an always on, always available platform that can be leveraged for planned activities, as well as for managing unexpected crises requiring international coordination.

GSEC Net is a global extension of Mutualink's IRAPP (Interoperable Response and Preparedness Platform), which is deployed by hundreds of public and private entities throughout the United States. GSEC Net utilizes the same innovative peer network and has no central switch architecture, eliminating security issues and the requirement for national resources to be controlled by a third party.

Each participant maintains sovereign control over its communications and information assets. A nation who joins the GSEC Net in preparation for an upcoming event remains persistently connected to the network as world events shift around the globe.

Communications on GSEC Net are end-to-end encrypted using AES 256-bit encryption ciphers and are mutually authenticated through encryption keys. GSEC Net is non-proprietary and open-standards compatible, as well as being network and device agnostic. The network is cost-effective and simple to deploy.

GSEC Net Deployed for Military and Defense
During DoD exercises taking place this month, Mutualink's GSEC Net is being accessed from more than 20 endpoints around the world, serving as a collaboration backbone for international response and situational awareness for incidents that may occur at large, multinational events.

Locations using Mutualink include U.S. military bases and entities, as well as sites in Brazil, Colombia, South Africa, and the 28 Nations of NATO via deployments in NATO Special Operations installations in Belgium.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the GSEC Net, a simulated incident will take place in Brazil involving citizens from multiple countries. All of the nations whose citizens are affected will be alerted in real time to the emergency response status with key information being exchanged regarding situation status as the situation unfolds.

"With the instant situational awareness and collaboration that GSEC Net affords, global partners are able to effectively monitor, assess and respond in real time to international events that may affect their citizens at home or abroad," said Joe Mazzarella, Senior Vice President, Mutualink.

"There's an increasing need for interoperable communications capabilities on a global scale so that nations can work together quickly and effectively, irrespective of where and when events occur."