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DISA Voice Services Purchases Voice Encryption Device from EADS North America
July 2013 by Marc Jacob
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has signed an agreement with EADS North America to purchase three units of its ECTOCRYP® Black high-capacity secure voice encryption device.
The device, which recently was approved for operation by the National Security Agency and evaluated by the Joint Interoperability Test Command, helps DISA meet the U.S. government’s requirements for next-generation secure voice services, including communications that are more agile.
Compared to other Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol devices, ECTOCRYP® Black’s combination of high capacity, relatively small size and programmability enables options for secure voice communications that previously were not possible.
“Voice communications in the commercial world are quickly evolving, and everything is becoming more mobile,” said Sean O’Keefe, EADS North America Chairman and CEO. “ECTOCRYP® Black enables top secret security for sensitive communications without sacrificing the flexibility that end users have grown accustomed to in their personal lives.”
DISA will deploy the ECTOCRYP® Black encryption units in two of its Defense Enterprise Computing Centers. EADS North America delivered the units, and supported installation and integration in one of the centers.
With four T1 interfaces that allow for 92 simultaneous individual calls per unit and the ability to store hundreds of cipher keys, ECTOCRYP® Black provides interoperability between classified and unclassified networks to a greater degree than any existing system of its size, as well as potential key management efficiencies. Through the device, users on unclassified networks equipped with Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol (SCIP)-compliant phones can communicate transparently with secured enclaves and engage in enterprise services, such as secure teleconferencing with multiple locations.
Developed by EADS’ Cassidian division as part of a line of programmable cryptographic devices, ECTOCRYP® Black uses a common commercial off-the shelf hardware architecture that can be programmed to accommodate new features and technology standards to provide interoperability with different types of networks as current networks change. For example, when used in conjunction with media gateways, ECTOCRYP® Black gives red enclaves interoperability with both time division multiplexing (TDM) and internet protocol (IP)-based voice systems.
