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Secure Mission Data at the Tactical Edge

Protecting classified data at the tactical edge is now a design requirement, not a special case. Mission data is created, processed, and retained on the platforms that carry the mission, and it stays on them after the mission ends.

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MISSION DATA HAS MOVED CLOSER TO THE MISSION

The Tactical Edge Is a Data Environment

Mission data is no longer confined to centralized systems and secure facilities. It is created, processed, and stored on rugged endpoints, forward-deployed compute, ground control stations, vehicle systems, autonomous platforms, and other devices operating closer to the mission.

These systems support real-time intelligence, mission planning, sensor processing, command and control, AI-enabled applications, and other operational workloads. As more capability moves forward, so does the sensitive data those capabilities depend on.

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MISSION DATA MOVES WITH THE MISSION

At the tactical edge, mission data is continuously created, processed, stored, and retained across distributed systems.
Created by operators, sensors, and mission applications
Processed locally for real-time decisions
Stored across distributed mission systems
Retained in logs, caches, configurations, and local storage
Rugged Endpoints

Laptops, rugged tablets, mobile workstations, and operator devices used for planning, analysis, communications, and field operations.

Forward Compute & Storage

Deployable servers, tactical edge nodes, AI-enabled compute, and storage systems that process and retain data closer to the point of need.

Vehicle & Autonomous Systems

Vehicle mission computers, ground control stations, unmanned platforms, autonomous systems, and supporting operator devices.

Mission Support Systems

Maintenance devices, diagnostic systems, software-update platforms, and other systems used to configure and sustain fielded capability.

DEVICE DATA CAN OUTLIVE THE MISSION

Mission data can remain on systems long after the operation begins, ends, or changes. That includes data created by operators, collected by sensors, cached by applications, retained in logs, or stored for transfer. That can include:

  • Mission plans and tasking data
  • Route, mapping, and terrain information
  • Sensor and ISR data
  • Targeting and collection priorities
  • Operational logs
  • Software and firmware packages
  • AI models, inference outputs, and edge analytics
HOW CIGENT PROTECTS TACTICAL-EDGE DATA

Layered Data Protection for Fielded Systems

Encrypted Storage Secured by Pre-Boot Authentication

Cigent secure SSDs provide hardware full drive encryption and are paired with Cigent Pre-Boot Authentication. Protected storage remains locked until an authorized user or system successfully authenticates, extending access control to the data before the operating system loads.

Independent Software Full Drive Encryption

Cigent Software FDE provides an independent encryption and authentication layer for additional defense in depth and can strengthen protection across systems already deployed in the field.

Deployment & Lifecycle Management

Deploy, manage, update, and enforce protection across distributed systems through repeatable workflows, then securely sanitize data as devices are reassigned, recovered, redeployed, or decommissioned.

BUILT FOR THE REALITIES OF TACTICAL DEPLOYMENT

Protection Should Fit the Mission, Not Reshape It

Tactical programs rarely operate uniform fleets. A single deployment may include Windows and Linux systems, rugged endpoints, servers, vehicle support devices, autonomous platforms, and equipment already fielded across multiple locations.

Cigent provides flexible hardware and software protection that can be integrated into new systems or introduced across existing deployments. This gives programs a practical path to strengthen data-at-rest protection without requiring every device, platform, or refresh cycle to follow the same deployment model.

PROVEN AT THE TACTICAL EDGE

Layered Data Protection for PacStar Mission Systems

Cigent collaborated with Curtiss-Wright to bring secure storage, Pre-Boot Authentication, and DAR management capabilities to PacStar platforms used across tactical servers, edge storage systems, vehicle-mounted deployments, and forward locations.

The combined approach gives defense teams a practical path to deploy rugged mission compute with stronger protection for classified data across distributed edge environments.

Read the Curtiss-Wright Case Study