Mutualink is a cross-agency collaboration system that allows sharing of multimedia such as voice, video, text and files between agencies over any network. It provides secure sharing through encryption and authentication while maintaining agency control and sovereignty. The system takes a distributed approach to bridging existing communication silos by enabling selective information flow between agencies. It has been deployed for major events and exercises to provide interoperable communications between local, state and federal agencies.

1. Mutualink Solution Overview
PA APCO
Rob Wright
Mutualink, Inc.
April 2017
Derek Storm
TuWay Communications

2. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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What is Mutualink?
• A cross-agency collaboration/interoperability system.
• Allows sharing of any media between any agencies over
any networks.
• Multimedia capability:
– Voice: Radios, phones, PAs, intercoms, etc.
– Video: Cameras, video management systems,
smartphones, webcams, etc.
– Text messaging, chat rooms
– File sharing
– Location & GIS data sharing
• Secure: Full encryption & authentication, FIPS 140-2
compliant, JITC and DHS Safety Act certified.

3. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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The Interoperability Problem:
Silos!
• Silos prevent
seamless
communication
between agencies.
• BUT silos are
necessary to
maintain agency
control &
sovereignty.
Silos = Security Domains = Good

4. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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How to Create Interoperability:
Build a Bigger Silo?
• All silos have boundaries. Bigger silos may reduce
the number of boundaries, but they do not
eliminate the fundamental problem.
• Silos are not all-encompassing. Even within a silo
footprint, only certain agencies are included.
• Once a silo transcends agency boundaries,
agencies cede control to the silo owner.
• Silos are expensive to build!

5. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Goals For Ideal Solution
• Recognize that silos will always exist, so don’t fight
against them – work with them.
• Silos are not only LMR or voice - video, GIS, and
data systems have the same problem, so a media-
agnostic solution is needed.
• Enable “selective” information flow between silos.
• Ensure security with access control and encryption.
• Maintain sovereignty of owning agencies.
• Enable ad-hoc sharing under control of on-scene
agency personnel.

6. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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A Distributed Approach to
Bridging Silos
GWs
IP
Network
LMR
GWs
IP
Network
GWs
IP
Network
GWs
IP
Network
To other
agencies & networks
LMR LMR
LMR
Inter-connecting
Network(s)

7. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Cross-Agency Sharing
Method 1: Centralized PULL Model
1) Agency A is accessing private
media/data. They wish to share
this with on-scene agencies B,C.
2) The agency admin adds the
desired agency B,C members to
the access control DB for the
desired data.
3) The agency B,C members may
then access (PULL) the data. This
assumes a secured connection to
the data is available and they
have the appropriate
application(s) installed.
4) When the sharing is no longer
required, the admin must remove
the members from the database.
Agency A
Media/Data
Access
DB Admin
Agency A
Personnel
Agencies
B,C
1
2
3
4

8. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Cross-Agency Sharing
Method 2: Dynamic PUSH Model
1) Agency A is accessing
private media/data. They
wish to share this with other
on-scene agencies B,C.
2) Agency A creates a Dynamic
Sharing Group with the
desired agencies B,C.
3) Agency A then shares
(PUSHes) the desired
media/data to agencies B,C.
• Agencies B,C never have
direct access to the data
source, therefore Agency A
remains in complete control
of their data at all times.
Agency A
Media/Data
Access
DB
Agency A
Personnel
Agencies
B,C
1
2
3
Data
PUSH
Dynamic
Sharing Group

9. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Example Use Case: LMR
Agency A
LMR
Agency A
Personnel
Agencies
B,C
Media
PUSH
LM
R
LM
R
Agency B
LMR

10. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Example Use Case: Video
Agency A
VMS Access
DB
Agency A
Personnel
Agencies
B,C
Media
PUSH

11. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Mission Critical Group
Collaboration

12. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Mutualink IRAPP Network

13. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Bringing Secure Domains

14. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Example: Superbowl 48

15. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Papal Visit 2015

16. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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17. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Today’s Demo – Federal Context
• Mutualink selected by FEMA to go through a Risk
Mitigation Framework to achieve an Authority to
Operate
• Primary benefits of capability for DHS agencies:
– Better communications within Federal agencies
– Better communication among Federal agencies
– Better collaboration with state & local agencies

18. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Exercising Local to Federal
Local – Regional – Statewide – Federal
• New Year’s Eve Situational
Awareness Event
• Newark Downtown District
• Western New York Interoperable
Communications Consortium
• New Jersey Statewide
Exercise Capability
(EXCAP 2017)
• Lights Out - NY Capital Region
(Albany)
• Spiral 2 - Department of
Homeland Security Component
Communications
• 2016 FEMA Exercise Capability (EXCA

19. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Boston DHS Spiral 2 Exercise Slide

20. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Summary
• The public and First Responders expect and need cross-
agency interoperability to be a fundamental capability of
FirstNet.
• Bridge existing silos, don’t build a bigger one.
• Maintain sovereignty of participating agencies.
• Enable interop to non-FirstNet agencies as well.
• Allow for on-scene and local interop capability if
wide-area infrastructure is not available.
• This is not just theoretical:
– Operational worldwide in hundreds of public safety, critical
infrastructure, federal, and military agencies.
– Deployed throughout New Jersey and Harris County BTOPs.
– NATO Special Forces global interoperability solution.

21. ©2014-2017 Mutualink, Inc. All Rights Reserved. US Patents #7,643,445, #8,364,153, #8,320,874, #8,811,940, #8,929,851, #9,426,433 and other US and International Patents Pending.
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Questions
and
Demo